


Stalking is the Most Sincere Form of Flattery

by May_chan



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:09:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26393935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/May_chan/pseuds/May_chan
Summary: Izaya had never had any issues getting the handful of girls who were stupid enough to have a crush on Shizu-chan to rethink their affections. Never had any worries that one of his lovely humans would ever be able to steal away his ability to rile Shizu-chan into making bad decisions. But this girl... no matter how hard he tried... whatever tactic he could think to use on her.. she would not be dissuaded.. and for the first time, Izaya wondered if he would lose control of the beast he had trained so carefully.
Relationships: Heiwajima Shizuo/Original Female Character(s), Heiwajima Shizuo/Orihara Izaya, Heiwajima Shizuo/Orihara Izaya/Original Character(s), Orihara Izaya/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. August 2009

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I've had the idea for this story for a long time now. I know OCs can kind of suck, but I really wanted to do this story and there wasn't really a character already there that I thought would be able to adequately fill this role. I hope you enjoy it and please leave any comments, good or bad, that you may have!!

**August 2009**

Tom knew he had seen this girl before. Something about the curious look in her eyes had drawn his attention once before. Where was it though? At that bar last week? No, that wasn't it. Maybe when they had gone to get food at that weird cosplay café? She certainly might have blended in well there, but something told Tom it hadn't been there. 

Well wherever it was, he hadn't given the girl a second glance. She wasn't anything remarkable. Maybe if her clothes weren't so outrageous, she might have been cute, but as she was, the only thing memorable about the girl was _that look_ and the fact that she wouldn't take her eyes off of Shizuo. She had been staring at him like that the last time he saw her too. She didn't even seem to notice Tom as he stared right at her.

Though the thing that drew Tom's attention to her the most was the fact that she had definitely been following them. For awhile. He noticed her earlier that morning when he and Shizuo met to start work for the day standing with just her head poking out behind a vending machine. Then again while they were drinking coffee at the 7-11. And again while they were collecting on a payment. Even now, there she was several feet away from Shizuo, eyes fixated firmly on him, that weird, curious, yet somehow determined look in her eyes and set firmly in her jaw. 

Had Shizuo noticed her? He had to have. She didn't exactly blend into the background with that weird get-up. But then, he would have said something if he had _,_ right? That's the kind of thing that would have gotten under his skin.

It made him nervous. Not really out of fear that she would hurt Shizuo, but more because he really didn't want to see Shizuo scare the crap out of some random stalker.

"Hey," Shizuo said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "This the place?" Tom pulled out the slip of paper from his pocket and read the address again.

"Yep, looks like it."

"Alright. Lets get this over with so we can go eat. I'm starving."

* * *

Tom nearly spat his drink out when, not five minutes after sitting down, the girl walked in. Simon greeted her and showed her to the seat one spot away from Shizuo at the bar. That was odd. Simon had never seated anyone. At least not that he could remember. Did Simon think something was off about her too?

She took the menu Simon shoved in her face and skimmed it quickly. 

"Finished already?" Dennis asked when she had set it down. She nodded and gave him her order. She began looking around the room and then turned to face forward a little too quickly when she saw Shizuo sitting next to her, her eyes widening. His eyes narrowed as Dennis came back and started chatting with Shizuo again while preparing their plates.

Simon came back with a glass of water which she downed in a few greedy gulps.

"Ahhhh, you are very thirsty! More water for our new customer."

The girl turned to glance at Shizuo. Cautiously at first, Then, when he didn't notice her, she stared at him more openly. What the hell was her game?

"Hey, looks like you have a fan," he said to Shizuo, motioning to her. Shizuo glanced at him and then turned to look at the girl, whose whole body looked like it had gone ridged.

* * *

"Huh. Uh, hey do I know you?" Shizuo asked, the picture of calm. Dennis eyed the girl that Simon had seated a few minutes earlier. She seemed normal but it _was_ weird that Simon showed her to her seat. He must have thought there was something off about her. Tom also must have thought so because he was watching the girl in a way that put Dennis on edge.

"Ummm no! Sorry! The side of your head looked really familiar so I was trying to see your full face. Sorry about that!" the girl said. Well he _guessed_ that _maybe_ made sense, if not a little strange. He had noticed her staring a lot at Shizuo.

"Oh hey, no big deal. Although I've never really been mistaken for anybody before," Shizuo mused as he returned back to their conversation. Simon returned with the girls second glass of water and gave Dennis a look before going back to stand near the door. So there really was something weird about her. The girl took the water and stared at the glass.

"Here," Dennis said as he finished Tom and Shizuo's plates and set them down in front of them. "Enjoy."

* * *

Tom and Shizuo began to enjoy their meal in their usual silence, though this time Tom felt uncomfortable. So Shizuo hadn't noticed her following them all day. Well that answered that.

Now that he had seen the girl's face, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to pick her out if she decided to continue following them.

"Mmmmm," the sound broke through Tom’s thoughts. All their heads turned to look at the girl who had been served her food. Her eyes were wide, staring at the half eaten piece of sushi in her fingers while her other hand was covering her mouth.

"Good?" Shizuo asked her. Tom could hear the laugh in his voice. The girl slowly turned her head to look at him, eyes still wide.

"Ish sho good!" she said, mouth still full. She swallowed then said to Dennis, "What even is this?"

"It's a special recipe I came up with. I call it pelmeni nigiri. I'm glad you like it," he responded, a little pride in his voice. The girl started eating more. Slowly, so she could thoroughly enjoy each bite. Tom smiled to himself, forgetting for a moment who she was, as she made little noises of approval with each bite.

"Here," Shizuo said, startling Tom, "Try some of this." He put a piece of his sushi onto one of the small bowls usually meant for soy sauce and handed it to her. "It's my favorite dish here."

The girl looked as if he handed her her dead grandmother, alive and well again. She took it happily and plopped the sushi into her mouth.

"Mmmmmm," she mumbled, a smile on her face.

"Good, right?" Shizuo asked, turning back to finish his meal.

"Yea," she responded, a peculiar look on her face. "It's delicious. I can see why it's your favorite. Thank you for sharing with me." She sounded… almost… sad? No, it wasn't sadness in her voice. Tom couldn't quite place the emotion he saw sprawled across her features as she returned to her own meal. Maybe something akin to solemn contemplation? Shizuo didn't seem to notice.

* * *

Though Simon's suspicions were proven to be correct, the girl didn't appear to be dangerous. Simon knew better than to judge someone by their looks alone, Verona was enough proof of that, but something about the girl made him think she wasn't a threat. First of all, she wasn't a very good stalker. The way he had looked at the girl when she came in made it clear that even Tom had caught onto the fact that she had been following Shizuo's every move for at least a week, possibly even longer. Secondly, that girl was a little too jumpy to be really dangerous. Finally - and in Simon's eyes, most importantly - nobody who loved Russia Sushi that much could be truly dangerous.

Simon smiled to himself as he walked up behind the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her jump the kind of genuine jump of someone who had actually been startled. Definitely not a trained assassin. Or perhaps a really well trained one.

"It's good, yes? Russia Sushi have good food, always fresh! You come again soon, yes?" She nodded adamantly.

Shizuo and Tom began paying Dennis for their meal, but the girl didn't even seem to notice.

"Yes! I can't believe I've never been in here before. The food is amazing!" Simon's smile grew into a grin.

The door rang as the two boys left the restaurant.

"You are from Ikebukuro, yes?" She shook her head.

"Huh? Ahhh no actually, I moved to Ikebukuro about 5 years ago with my step-father."

"5 years huh? And you're only just now hearing about us?" Dennis chimed in, clearing away the plates from Shizuo and Tom. Simon saw her eyes shift over to the empty bar stools, widening slightly, before looking at Dennis.

"Oh, I guess I just never got out much. My step-father needed me at home and we ate mostly home cooked food," she responded, clearly a little distracted now. He exchanged another look with Dennis.

"You come eat at Russia Sushi a lot now, ok? Rushia Sushi good and good for you! And it's cheap too!" Simon said, extending his arms out. Emi nodded emphatically and looked like she was about to say something but Dennis intercepted.

"What made you finally decide to come in now?" Dennis asked. Simon cut him a sharp look but Dennis was busy wiping down the counter.

"Huh, oh well, uh I was just hungry and uh saw this place and thought 'Hey what an interesting name. I bet they have interesting food," she responded with a nervous chuckle, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She started shoving the rest of her food in her mouth quickly.

"Oh? But what about your step-dad? He doesn't like to eat out?" Her expression darkened. Simon knew Dennis was prying too much for the girl's comfort, but they had to get as much information out of her as they could. As far as Simon could tell, she hadn't been lying about anything so far, but they still needed to remain on guard.

"I don't live with him anymore. I've been on my own since I turned 18," she responded quietly, pushing the now empty plate away from her.

"Oh yea? Finally spreading those wings huh? We've all gotta do that at some point.

"I suppose. In a manner of speaking." The girl seemed less nervous and instead seemed to take on contemplative sadness as she reached into her pockets. She still wanted to leave, he could tell, but more because she didn't like the path the conversation had taken. She held a small wallet in her hand and waited patiently for Dennis to give her the bill. Dennis headed over to the sink to rinse his washcloth and was his hands, taking his time doing so.

"So you're 18 then?" She shook her head.

"No, I'm 19 now."

Holes. He exchanged yet another look with Dennis.

"19? You start college this year?"

"Ooh college good, yes! Lots of hungry customers!" Simon said

"Ah no. I decided not to go to college just yet. I have a doujinshi novel that I've been working on that's gotten pretty popular," the girl responded, shaking her wallet in an attempt to get Dennis to wash his hands faster. "I'm not even sure what sort of classes I would take or what I would want to be."

"You're a writer? That seems like complicated work," Dennis mused as he finished drying his hands and came over to give her her bill. She shrugged.

"About as complicated as being a sushi chef, I suppose," she laughed.

She counted out the money and handed it over to him. She stood and bowed to them politely.

"Thank you very much for the meal," she said, turning to leave.

"You come back soon. We have good food for good prices," Simon said to her retreating back.

"Bye now," Dennis added.

" _Well she doesn't seem dangerous_ ," Simon said in Russian.

" _No. but looks can be deceiving. Even if she doesn't have the same mannerisms of an assassin or spy, she could be putting on an act,_ " Dennis responded. Simon nodded. But… If she was putting on an act… What were her motives? She acted like she didn't want Shizuo to know she was there. Was that part of the act? Was she actually trying to get close to Shizuo? To what end?

" _We should keep an eye on her._ " Simon didn't think the girl was an assassin or anything so alarming. However, he knew better than most that you couldn't trust people right off the cuff. The fact remains that she was definitely following Shizuo, whatever her intentions may be.

* * *

Tom sighed in relief when they left the restaurant and she stayed behind, getting caught by Simon. For the rest of the day, he didn’t see the girl once and he was able to breathe a little easier.

The following morning though, she was back again and for the next two weeks, Tom's senses were heightened as he was continuously on the lookout for her. At least she was now aware of Tom existing. She was a little less obvious than before but since Tom easily spotted her ducking behind trees or into alleyways. Really anywhere that could be a quick convenient hiding place. 

She _must’ve_ known that Tom knew she was following them. This was what was confusing to Tom. Didn't she think he would say anything? She HAD to have known he knew, _right_ ? She couldn't _possibly_ think she was being sneaky. She wasn't exactly _s_ ubtle with all those weird outfits. They didn't even match most of the time. It's like she bought a bunch of random clothes she liked and then threw them on and left. And where was she even getting all those weird cat shirts?

How Shizuo STILL hadn't noticed was beyond him. Then again, Shizuo didn't notice a whole lot of things. He didn't need to. If a problem ever became big enough to confront him to his face, he'd just beat it away with a street sign… or a vending machine… or anything else within reach. And if he didn't have anything within reach, he just used his fists. Shizuo probably wasn't very worried about a small girl sneaking up on him. Still, she was kind of hard to miss.

"Hey," Shizuo said suddenly, startling Tom out of his thoughts.

"Yea? What's up?" Tom responded. They kept walking as Tom looked up at his friend. His face was contorted in deep contemplation as he was looking at something in his hand. A brochure?

"Did you know cats are lactose intolerant?" Tom stopped in surprise.

"...What?" Shizuo stopped a pace ahead and turned back to him.

"Yea. Look at this," Shizuo said, handing him the paper he was looking at. Tom took it and examined the paper. It was a brochure, an obviously homemade one that contained handwritten, photocopied random facts about cats and several cute, if not crude, drawings of cats. In the middle was a large section about cats being lactose intolerant with a list of all the medical problems it can cause them if they consume large quantities of milk. Then on the other side were a list of alternative things to give your cat as a treat ONLY. Tom looked from the brochure to Shizuo, baffled as to why Shizuo had this.

"Wha… Where did you get this?" he asked.

"Somebody left it in front of all the doors on my block tied to a sample of cat treats," Shizuo responded with a shrug. "I just never knew cats shouldn't have milk. You see it in movies and stuff all the time, right?"

"Sure I guess," Tom answered, looking back down at the paper again.

"Why would they put in movies and stuff if it was bad for cats? It makes me wanna punch whoever is in charge of that kind of stuff, you know. It seems kinda irresponsible, if you ask me." Tom handed the paper back to Shizuo who folded it neatly and placed it in his back pocket.

"I didn't know that either. Whoever started that rumor was messed up," Tom said in response as he moved past Shizuo, onto their next client. Shizuo fell into place behind him.

"Right? It just doesn't make sense."

"No it doesn’t. So where do you want to eat today?" Tom asked, changing the topic off cat food.

"Oh hey, I got a gift card to that bakery. Someone left it under my door the other day. Let's go there. I can treat you for a change."

"Yeah sure. I like that place."


	2. September 2009

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom doesn't know what to make of her sudden disappearance.

**September 2009**

The girl had come back every few days after that. They were able to learn her name was Emi and that she was NOT a fan of the spicy stew sushi. In fact, she was so much not a fan, that she began sobbing and accused Dennis of hating her for allowing her to order it. It took a free dessert and the promise he would never again commit such a heinous act of violence against her before she would be consoled.

For the past couple weeks, however, she had been coming at least once a day. She would stay a couple hours in one of the private rooms, the clicking of her keyboard permeating the quiet atmosphere of the restaurant. This didn't bother Simon. For whatever reason, she was spending a lot of time here, which meant she wasn't following Shizuo and Tom anymore. And she always ordered a lot of food, further ingratiating herself into Simon’s good graces.

The sound of the door drew Simon's attention. He looked up, expecting to see Emi, but was surprised to see Tom enter, unaccompanied.

* * *

There was something really strange going on here. For  _ weeks _ that girl followed Shizuo around and then all of a sudden two weeks ago, she just stopped. What was she playing at? Honestly, he should be relieved that she wasn't lurking around every corner, but really it just made him more nervous. At least before he knew where she was and what she was doing. Now, she could be doing anything. His mind conjured all sorts of images of her running experiments on kidnapped teenagers, trying to find a way to duplicate Shizuo's super strength.

He opened the door to Russia Sushi and sat in his usual spot at the counter.

"Tom, you're looking rough. Something happen?" Dennis asked him, as he set his usual drink in front of him. Tom took it and swirled the fluid around, looking at it but not really seeing it.

"I'm not really sure," he started slowly. He looked up and studied Dennis. Simon came over and stood near Tom.

"Tom! Good day. You seem down. Eat lots of Russia Sushi and you feel better."

"Yea for sure Simon. Hey….." He paused, taking a moment to decide whether or not it was a good idea to talk to them about this. Deciding he really just did not care he continued. "You guys remember that girl that was in here a little over a month ago? The one that kept staring at Shizuo?" Dennis and Simon exchanged a look that made Tom narrow his eyes.

"Yes. Girl who like Russia Sushi. Always come in and buy a lot of food," Simon said.

"Yea, that's the one!" Tom responded. Then, confused, he added, "She's been back?"

"Sure. Emi used to come in every other day or so, for dinner. Lately though, it seems like she's in here all the time. Always sits in there and works on her doujinshi," Dennis offered, pointing to a room in the corner of the restaurant with his knife.

"Her doujinshi? She's a writer?" Tom asked, a little bit shocked and also kind of relieved. If she was a writer, that could explain why she was following Shizuo. His fighting style might be good fodder for use in a character she was creating.

"Yes. Emi is good writer. She write good story about Russia Sushi. Put Dennis and me in," Simon said, pulling out several pages of writing from his pockets and handing them to Tom.

"You want your usual," Dennis asked.

"Yea, sure," Tom said, distracted as he took the pages.

It was just a simple short story about Simon and Dennis finding an unusual piece of metal in a shipment of fish they received. When Dennis touched the metal, he was turned into a baby. Which meant Simon had to cook, take care of a baby, and try to find a way to turn Dennis back into an adult, which turned out to be eating Russia Sushi.

He handed the pages back to Simon, wondering what kind of story she was writing about Shizuo, if that was indeed the reason she had been following him all those weeks.

In any case, he didn’t think it was something he needed to worry about too much. At least not at the moment. 

* * *

Simon took the papers back from Tom and put them back in his pocket.

"It's funny, no? Baby Dennis eating Russia Sushi I make," Simon laughed as he headed for the door, grabbing a stack of flyers on the way. So Tom had been worried about this girl too. She must have been following Shizuo for those weeks. Shizuo could handle himself if she tried something but Simon really didn't think she would. He was usually a good judge of character, especially after several meetings. The girl was strange, to be sure, but he believed her to be harmless. In fact, he was actually starting to like her, at least a little bit.

"HA. Baby Dennis," he laughed again as headed up the street, "Is very funny."


	3. November 2009

**November 2009**

Tom stepped into the sun as Shizuo threw some guy across the arcade behind him. He headed to the next building and pulled out his phone to check his messages. Nothing. He wasn't all that surprised. The arcade owner came running outside.

"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!" he screamed at Tom. Tom was pretty used to this. Nobody was ever brave enough to yell that at Shizuo. Instead, they took out their frustrations on good old, mellow Tom.

"Yea, of course." He pulled out a card and lazily handed it to the old man. "This is the number of my company. Call 'em and tell 'em Shizuo messed up your building trying to get a payment. They'll take care of it."

"Wh- we- that's not the point!" the man yelled. Tom could see a vein on his forehead throbbing. He sighed.

"Didn't you just tell me I had to pay for the damages?"

"Well… yeah but," Shizuo stepped outside then and lit up a cigarette.

"So what's the problem? I told you my company would cover the damages. I've given you what you wanted." Shizuo looked over at Tom. Tom slid his gaze from the owner to Shizuo, who was looking at them. The cigarette between his fingers snapped and Tom took that as his cue to walk away.

"Hey! You can't just walk aw-" the man was cut off as Shizuo must have grabbed him. Tom didn't stick around to listen and instead headed into a convenience store. He was just browsing the juice selection when Shizuo came up beside him.

"How many more of these guys do we have today?" he asked, as if he hadn't just beat the shit out of 4 men without getting a scratch. Tom pulled out the list from his pocket.

"Looks like two more after this," he responded, slipping the list back in place.

"Good. I need a bath. One of those guys smelled like they hadn't bathed in a month," he retorted, reaching for a banana milk in the next refrigerator. Tom made his selection and they both paid and left the store.

The last two clients paid up without a fuss and Tom and Shizuo parted ways. It had been really quiet the last two months. Emi had really stopped following Shizuo, apparently having gotten whatever research she was gathering from him. Tom would be lying if he said he wasn't curious what she was using Shizuo as the blueprint for.

Not only that, but it was the middle of November which meant things were slowing down with work. Something about this month made people pay their debts off when they were supposed to. Not much else to spend money on, Tom supposed. Shizuo and Tom had finished their work by at least 4 everyday for the past week. Occasionally they were done as early as lunch time.

He shivered. The sun had begun to set and the air was turning cold. He shoved his hands in his pockets and immediately mentally slapped his forehead. Pulling his hand out, he examined the check addressed to Shizuo Heiwajima. 

“That idiot,” he thought, shirking some of his guilt off on his friend. “How could he forget to get his pay check?” 

Tom pulled out his phone and dialed Shizuo's number.

"Tom?"

"Hey, we forgot about your check."

"Oh, right. I felt like something was off. You wanna meet at that park with the fountain?"

"Sure. I can be there in about 10 minutes."

"Sounds good."

Tom hung up the phone and started heading towards the park. 10 minutes later, he was sitting on a bench waiting for Shizuo. 

"Hey, Tom," Shizuo called, drawing Tom's attention. His eyes widened when he saw her ducking behind a tree. What the hell? She's back?

"H-hey Shizuo," he managed, recovering from the shock of seeing her after so long.

"You got my check?" Shizuo asked as he made it to Tom.

"Yea. It's right here," he said, standing and pulling the paper from his pocket. He handed it to the blonde and glanced at the tree as Shizuo opened it and examined it. She was looking right at Shizuo. There was something different about the way she was looking at him this time though. She was transfixed, the curious, determined expression from before replaced with something gentler. Why was she back? Did she need more inspiration from him?

"Thanks for coming all this way," Shizuo said.

".. Yea… no problem," Tom said, distracted. Emi ducked behind the tree again, quickly.

"What's the matter, you see something?" Shizuo asked, moving to stand behind Tom to try to follow his gaze. Tom moved forward quickly and turned to face him.

"Oh-no. It's nothing. Thought I saw someone." Shizuo raised an eyebrow.

"... Okay…. Well thanks again. I needed to pay my rent tomorrow morning and that would have been kind of hard without my paycheck."

"Yea, no worries. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Yea, see you." Tom started walking in the opposite direction he knew Shizuo would take, giving Shizuo time to start walking away too. He glanced behind to see if Shizuo had gone, then turned back to follow behind Emi. She was staying several yards behind Shizuo, and Tom followed suit behind her. Shizuo led them through downtown Ikebukuro, stopping occasionally to look at things Tom couldn't see. Emi, however, was perfectly visible and each time she ducked behind an object, Tom racked his brain wondering how Shizuo had seriously _not_ noticed her yet. The art of subtlety was entirely lost on her.

When Shizuo made it to his apartment, Tom decided he would confront the girl. As soon as his door was closed, Tom started walking towards her. Just as he was about to reach her, she lifted her arms and yawned then started climbing the steps to Shizuo's apartment. Tom stopped short. Was she going to try to talk to him? He crossed to the other side of the street so he could see the balcony. The girl reached Shizuo's door and then…. passed it? 

Tom's jaw dropped as she took out a key and opened the apartment right next to Shizuo's.

* * *

Izaya balanced on the edge of the guard rail on top of the apartment building Shizu-chan had just ripped a hole in and smiled to himself. That protozoa was going to tear through every building in this town. He just didn't have any sense. He hopped down and skipped to the fire escape, easily making his way to the ground. The brute would be out front soon so he would go in through the side door. He didn't have time to deal with that monster today.

Just as he was about to enter, a girl standing in the mouth of the alley and poking her head around the corner caught his attention. Huh. He might have a  _ little  _ time. He walked up to her but she didn't seem to notice that he was standing behind her. Izaya had never been one to respect personal boundaries, especially when they were so clearly begging to be broken. He came directly behind her so he too could peer around the corner at what she was looking at. She still didn't notice!

They were looking at the front of the building. That's it? She must have been waiting for something to happen.

"What are we waiting for?" Izaya whispered. Instead of leaping forward away from the stranger who had surprised her and was possibly about to attack her, the girl jumped and backed up, colliding with his body. He instinctively placed his hands on her shoulders. Then she turned around, placed a hand over his mouth, and continued to push him backwards into the alley, looking around frantically as she did so.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed. Izaya grinned beneath her hand. He wasn't expecting that reaction at all! He started to say "You seemed so captivated by that door, I thought something crazy interesting was going to happen any minute I just HAD to come see what it was. But, then I got bored waiting so I thought I would just ask you and decide then if it was worth my time or not," but her hand still covered his mouth and she was refusing to remove it.

"Shhhhhh!" She moved them back so she could poke her head out to look at the front door. Izaya let her move his body because this was just way too fun! His grin widened beneath her hand. He wanted to tell her that she had asked him a question and it would be horribly rude to ignore a direct question but he couldn't say that so he started to laugh.

"Shhhhhh!" she hissed again, bringing her attention back to him. She put her other hand over his mouth and pressed harder. "He's going to hear you!"

o

o

o

Oh.

How boring.

She's stalking someone.

Suddenly all the enjoyment vanished from the situation. He easily removed her hand and switched their positions, sighing.

"How disappointing," he said, letting her go and walking towards the side door he should have gone in minutes ago. "Here I was thinking you were robbing a yakuza boss or getting ready to assassinate a foreign dignitary. But you're just stalking some poor boy. This isn't fun at all. Good luck! Hope he doesn't kill you when he finds out what a creepy pervert you are!" He mockingly saluted her as he reached for the door handle.

It was at this point Izaya was able to get a good look at what the girl was wearing. He started laughing. What is with that ridiculous getup? She's like the worst stalker ever. Wearing something like that is bound to draw the attention of anyone within 100 feet.

Just then, the girl turned back into the alleyway, not caring at all about his monologue, and ran towards him. His eyes narrowed in delight as she grabbed and shoved him against the wall again, just as Shizu-chan passed by. Then, once he was out of sight again she stepped back and glared at him. He recovered from his shock quickly and burst out laughing. Suddenly, it made perfect sense why she hadn't been caught by her stalkee. Shizu-chan wouldn't notice Godzilla tearing through the city unless it came up and smacked him on his butt. Even then he wasn't so sure he would notice.

"Shizu-chan? You're stalking Shizu-chan? Are you joking?" The girl continued to glare at him as he tried to compose himself. "What? Did he hit you in the head too hard and now you have Stockholme's syndrome?" He stopped abruptly. "And now I'm bored." He managed to open the door this time and as he was stepping through it he said "I had a lot of fun! See you next time!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things should start picking up now that Izaya is involved!! Next chapter has a lemon!


	4. December 2009

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mature Content

**December 2009**

**I** zaya had forgotten all about Shizu-chan's stalker. After all, Shizu-chan wasn't HIS responsibility. No, he continued on with his normal life, as usual. That is, until about a week later when she entered Russia Sushi as he was waiting for his order of otoro. She greeted Simon and Dennis like they were all old pals and sat down at a stool right in front of Dennis.

This got Izaya thinking; who was this girl? Did Simon and Dennis know she was stalking Shizuo? Why was she stalking Shizuo? There were too many questions. Too many answers he didn't have. His eyes narrowed at the girl who seemed none-the wiser he was looking at her.

Simon appeared in front of him then, holding a to-go bag out to him. Izaya took it with a smile and thanked the man. The streets of Ikebukuro were more chilly at night this time of the year but Izaya didn't mind it. He couldn't hide the wicked grin on his face as he headed back to his apartment, thinking it was a perfect night for some online reconnaissance.

* * *

The girl had continued to follow Shizuo for the last two weeks. After he discovered that she lived right next to Shizuo, Tom really wasn't sure what his next course of action should be. He thought about talking to Simon and Dennis about it, but they both seemed to be smitten with the girl and he didn't think he could trust their biased opinions.

He really wasn't worried about her hurting Shizuo. The man could defend himself. It just bothered him more than anything. Why was she doing it? Surely she had gotten everything she needed for her story by now. Right?!

He looked over at his blonde kouhai, sitting next to him on the park bench, messing around with something on his phone. Whatever it was seemed to be pissing him and Tom silently prepared himself to walk away if some hapless thug started some shit in their general vicinity. The thought crossed his mind to just tell Shizuo about it. He immediately discarded the idea. This is the kind of thing that would piss Shizuo off and he didn't want to unleash that on the poor girl if she was just following him for inspiration or another less sinister reason.

And in any case, she wasn't following him near as much as she had been the first time. Usually it was just in the mornings or late in the evenings after they had finished work, like that first night he saw her again. He wondered how long she had been doing it before he caught her this time. Was she avoiding it while Tom was there and then decided it didn't matter since he had already seen her?

They had made eye contact a few times that night and since then. She would quickly look away, at least having the decency to turn a little red from embarrassment. If her intentions were sinister, she probably would have started being more discreet right? Also, Simon and Dennis also didn't appear to find her to be any kind of threat.

The thought also crossed his mind that the girl might have a thing for Shizuo but was too scared to walk up to him. That actually made a lot of sense to Tom. Even though he knew Shizuo was a fairly attractive guy - he was pretty sure his brother's agents had tried to recruit him once - he was also a pretty scary dude if you didn't know him like Tom did.

Maybe, if that was the case, perhaps he could just let things play out the way they were going to. If she was using him for inspiration, she would eventually stop. If she liked him, she would either confess, something that might even be good for Shizuo, or she would stop when she got bored. Following around a guy who didn't notice you at all had to get old eventually in that scenario. Then again, Shizuo could notice her stalking him, in which case, Tom felt she would have to reveal her true motives. He thought Shizuo might just understand both of the most likely reasons and let the girl off the hook.

Yea... he could probably stop worrying about this so much. At least until she gave him a reason to.

* * *

Izaya pushed his chair away from his computer and gathered up the police, school, and hospital reports he had printed off to read more thoroughly. He had spent the last couple hours digging up everything he could find out about the girl. There was absolutely nothing interesting about her background until a year and a half ago.

Emi Murakami grew up in Saitama with her mother. Her father died before she was born, leaving a nice little fortune behind for them to live off of. Her mother remarried to a man by the name of Jin Sato when she was 12. Jin himself didn't have much of a background before then, a few thefts but nothing major. Then, about 4 years ago, just before she started high school, her mother was killed in a hit and run accident, and her step-father moved them to a 2 bedroom apartment in Ikebukuro, forcing her to transfer schools and leave everyone she ever knew and loved behind. It was at this time, police reports started flooding in. The first month, police responded to reports of domestic violence at least once a week. Then they started getting fewer in between until, within the last 6 month, they completely stopped.

Things started getting absolutely riveting when, two weeks before her 18th birthday, her step-father disappeared off the face of the planet. After that she moved into an apartment on the north side of Ikebukuro, close to her school while she finished out her 3rd year. It was also during this time when she started publishing doujinshi online that had developed a small following. She even had a couple of books for sale. When she graduated, she moved apartments. An apartment, Izaya was surprised to find, that was located to the left of Shizuo Heiwajima. Was that just fate or had she planned it that way?

He sat down on the sofa with the papers and a cup of tea. Setting the tea down on the coffee table he began reading through the reports. According to hospital reports, she had made a few visits to the hospital on her own for various injuries right after the move. The doctors suspected child abuse and called the police. Those visits stopped after the first police visit. The school also made several inquiries to police about the girls safety after physical exams and suspicious absences.

The police had even made multiple visits to the apartment outside of official queries, getting calls from concerned neighbors. But none of them ever resulted in anything because each time, Emi claimed she had fallen on the way home from school or had gotten into an altercation with another girl in the park, never giving any names of course.

When he finally came across the police report from her step-father's disappearance, a sinister smile crept onto his face. He would be planning a meeting with this girl very soon.

* * *

Emi was really too easy to follow. In the two weeks since Izaya had started having her trailed, she had done the same things everyday, just in a different order. Didn't she know how vulnerable that made her to would be kidnappers?

Izaya was sickened to learn that her schedule depended solely on what Shizu-chan's schedule for the day was. How utterly and completely  _ boring.  _ Couldn’t she be just a bit more interesting.

If he left early in the morning, she would head to Russia Sushi after the lunch rush and spend the afternoon there, chatting with Simon and Dennis. Then she would find Shizuo after he finished work for the day. If he didn't need to leave until later in the afternoon, she followed him while he was working and made it to Russia Sushi after the dinner rush. Honestly, the girl was basing too much of her life around a monster.

...his...

She usually made it home by 9 or 10, regardless of Shizu-chan, and her evenings were spent with her laptop or TV. Izaya should really have a conversation with the girl about making sure her curtains were closed at night. You never know what kind of weirdos could be out there, lurking in the shadows.

In truth, she would be totally boring if it weren't for the fact that it was Shizu-chan. It was no fun breaking someone who was already broken.

He still failed to see how the girl had come into contact with Shizu-chan. Several theories whirled their way around his brain, but one in particular stood out to him. In any case, he would be able to test that theory very soon. He watched from the opposite side of the street as Emi entered Russia Sushi, right on time.

* * *

Emi called out a cheerful greeting as she entered the restaurant, causing Dennis to look up from the plates he was clearing. Simon poked his head out of one of the private rooms he was attending and called out a greeting back as he moved to get her favorite drink. She hadn't been in as much the last couple months, but still managed to make it at least once a day for one meal, always sitting in the same chair at the counter so she could chat animatedly with them. Today, she had wandered in after their dinner rush.

"Hey, Emi. Good to see you again," Dennis greeted as he began to prepare her food. She had long since stopped using a menu and just ate whatever Dennis put in front of her, the spicy stew incident apparently forgotten and the trust rebuilt. Dennis tried to make sure to cook a variety of food for her, sometimes cooking things off menu. He got the impression that her diet outside of here consisted of mostly convenience store meals and microwave sandwiches.

"You too, Dennis," she responded, swinging her legs while taking a drink of the tea Simon set in front of her.

"You been doing okay? Seems like you're not here much lately. You not working on your doujinshi anymore?" Dennis asked her.

"Ooh say it's not true!" Simon said, sliding into the stool one space away from her.

"I still am," she replied. "I've just had some other stuff come up too that I've been... focusing on," she replied, staring into her glass uncomfortably. That's weird. Dennis could tell she didn't want to discuss whatever it was she had been so busy with the past few weeks, and he didn't want to pressure her into talking about it. But still, she hasn't acted like that since she first visited them.

"Yea? Well we sure miss you around here," Dennis said. She laughed.

"What? I'm in here everyday!"

"Hahaha, I guess that's true."

"Not long enough," Simon chimed in, "You should eat Russia all day, everyday!" She laughed again.

"I'll try to come back more," she joked.

She changed the subject then and they chatted while she ate. About halfway through the meal, the bell rang to the front door causing them all to look to see who had come in.

Izaya stood in the entryway with his hands in his pockets, a sly grin plastered on his face. Dennis narrowed his eyes.

"Izaya! Welcome! You come to eat sushi today?" Simon said. Dennis started getting out the fatty tuna to prepare for him, knowing that it was the only thing Izaya ever asked for when he came in.

"Afternoon, Simon, Dennis," he nodded at both of them as he strode forward and took the open seat between Simon and Emi. Dennis paused his slicing and glanced at Simon whose body had gone stiff.

"It's so nice to see you again!" he said emphatically to Emi. Emi in turn looked at him in shock for a moment before replacing the look with one of disgust and returning to her plate.

"Wish I could say the same," she grumbled, shoving another bite in her mouth. Dennis's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Emi knew Izaya? From where? Why? Clearly it wasn't a pleasant experience for Emi.

"Well that's not very nice. I quite enjoyed our time together last time," Izaya said with a laugh as Emi shot him a glare.

"How is it you two know each other?" Dennis asked nonchalantly. Izaya turned to face Dennis, his wicked grin growing wider.

"I met sweet Emi here when she was sta - dahsd jadhausd…" his words became muffled as Emi launched herself on him, covering his mouth with her hand and knocking him off his stool into Simon. Simon steadied them, pushing them upright into the stool again and Emi took the opportunity to position herself behind Izaya. All the while, Izaya continued speaking, his words completely muffled and unintelligible. Emi took out her wallet with her free hand and tossed it to Simon.

"Thank you so much for the meal. I'll pick that up later," she said nervously, pulling Izaya awkwardly out of his seat and dragging him to the door. When she reached the door, Izaya waved cheerfully and said what must have been a "goodbye". Dennis looked at Simon who was looking back at him with a somber face. Nothing good could come out of this.

* * *

He allowed himself to be dragged out of the restaurant and shoved into a nearby alley.

"Now, now. That was very rude, Emi-chan," Izaya said sternly when she finally released him, holding a finger up and speaking as if he were scolding a child. Emi had backed up several paces and was glaring at him. "Dragging me off like that while I was in the middle of telling them how we met… What are they going to think now?" He leaned against the wall of a nearby building and smiled smugly at her.

"I don't care what they think," she spat at him.

"You don't care? They could be thinking you seduced me in a back alley for a passionate night of lovemaking, taking advantage of me in a moment of weakness, only to throw me aside like a cheap whore without any consideration for my dignity," he said, acting as though she really had scandalized him that way. He laughed inwardly when she gawked at him.

"They wouldn't think that!" she snapped.

"You're probably right. No way I'd be caught dead getting it on with someone who looks like unicorn vomit. My reputation would take a serious hit," he responded, folding his arms and shaking his head. "Anyway, I've been wondering.. Why have you been stalking Shizu-chan? Not that I care one way or the other about the monster, but I just don't get it. What value could you possibly be getting by following that dunce around all the time?" Emi visibly bristled.

"I-am-NOT-stalking-him," she said through gritted teeth.

"Now now, there's no need to be so hostile. Honestly, you don't even know me," Izaya countered easily. "But that's not really the point. You are most definitely stalking him. And do you know how I know you're stalking him? Because I've been stalking you for the last two weeks!" he finished, throwing his arms out to the sides like he just revealed a huge plot twist. Emi's nostrils flared as she bawled her hands into fists at her sides. She stomped over to him and Izaya didn't dodge when she slapped him across the face.

"I am NOT stalking him," she seethed, completely ignoring the fact that Izaya had just revealed he had been following her, much to Izaya's delight. "And I know exactly who you are. You torment Shizuo every chance you get. I've seen the effect you have on him. It's pathetic the way you taunt him. Your life must be miserable and lonely if you clearly have nothing better to do with it." She had backed up a few feet at this point, still glaring and crossing her arms.

"I guess you've conveniently forgotten how Shizu-chan throws large heavy objects at me before I've done anything against him." Izaya's smirk remained on his lips.

"Yeah, because every time you come around something bad happens to him. It's a conditioned response," she retorted. Izaya shrugged and kicked himself away from the wall, heading towards her.

"Now you're just playing semantics," he laughed. Emi stood her ground, to Izaya's surprise. "Besides, that's not the reason we're here right now." He reached her then and began to pace around her in circles. Emi tried to look bored, even closing her eyes and plastering an irritated look on her face.

"Oh really? Then please, do enlighten me as to why you've grace me with your presence." Her voice was oozing sarcasm. He stopped pacing at her side, and leaned in until his lips were at her ear. She started tapping her index finger on her still crossed arm, though Izaya thought he felt her stiffen.

"I want to know what game you're playing," he said quietly. Then, quickly stepping a few paces away, he added louder, "I wanna play with Shizu-chan too!" He laughed and spun in place, his arms out.

"Well you'll have to find somebody else to play with. I want nothing to do with your games," she spat and began walking away. "Stay away from me!" Izaya stopped spinning and watched her leave the alley, a contemplative look in his eyes. Then, ignoring her last remark, he jogged to catch up to her and fell into step beside her.

"That's no fun, Emi-chan," he whined. "You haven't even answered a single question I've asked you."

"Yea and I'm not going to," she said through gritted teeth.

"Awww, come on! I just can't figure it out by myself! Did Shizu-chan really make that much of an impression when he beat your step-father so thoroughly?" Emi stopped, mid-step, but Izaya continued forward, pretending he hadn't noticed. "I admit, Shizu-chan's strength is something to witness for the first time, but honestly, I would have thought that a girl who had suffered as much abuse as you did would run far away from a barbarian like Shiz- hmm?" It was at this point, Izaya pretended to notice that she had stopped several feet back and turned back to her. "Something the matter?" he asked, feigning an innocent look of curiosity. Emi's eyes were wide as she stared back at him.

"H-how did you know about that? He promised that wouldn't be in the police report!" Izaya's grin got even wider.

"I didn't know about it," he said slyly, causing her to let out a surprised stammer. Then he feigned disappointment. "Well that's boring. You're following him because you like him. You've got some weird damsel-in-distress fetish and you've made Shizu-chan your hero. But you're wasting your time. Shizu-chan could never fall in love with such a coward like you. In fact, you're exactly the kind of girl he despises. Sneaking around in the shadows like a snake ready to pounce." The girl looked down and he took the opportunity to hop on a nearby bench and started balancing on the back of it to continue his assault. "No, Shizu-chan prefers girls who face their fears and confront them head on." He took his fists and bumped them together to reiterate his point. "A weak girl like yo-" His sentence was interrupted by a heavy object knocking him off the bench.

"IIIIIIIZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYAAAAA-KKKKUUUUUNNNN!" Izaya lifted the trash bin off of him to grin at Shizu-chan, ignoring the girl now. Shizu-chan was standing on the opposite side of the road grinning like a mad-man at Izaya.

"Shizu-chan! How many times have I told you, that is not how we greet people. It doesn't matter how happy we are to see them!" he chided, standing up and dusting his clothes off. Shizu-chan started walking across the street, grabbing a sign post easily as he passed it.

"I just can't help myself! Whenever I see you, I get so excited I have to smash your face into the ground!" Shizu-chan started running towards Izaya, who jumped out of the way right as the sign post came crashing towards him.

"Now now. We have to learn other ways of expressing our emotions." He had to roll out of the way again as Shizu-chan swung his weapon in a wide arch, nearly taking his head. "You don't want to spend your whole life with the emotional capacity of a toddler, do you?" Izaya took out his switchblade then and threw it at Shizu-chan, lodging it in his left shoulder.

"Damn blood sucking flea!" Shizu-chan grunted, bringing the sign post down vertically. Izaya jumped back and then hopped onto the sign post running up the length of it before grabbing his switchblade, kicking off of Shizu-chan's face, and using the momentum to grab onto a window sill on the second story of the building behind the behemoth. Then he scaled the side, jumping over the ledge of the roof just as Shizu-chan threw the sign like a javelin, taking a couple hairs.

He smiled when he heard Shizu-chan stumble up the building behind him and continued the chase through the city, leaving his new plaything behind.

* * *

He led him to a house he knew had been abandoned by the owners for the past year. He jumped over the gate and kicked in the back door, Shizu-chan hot on his heels. The moment they entered the kitchen, Izaya slowed and Shizu-chan slammed his face into the counter.

"Ouch, Shizu-chan! So rough!" he mocked, propping himself up on his elbows as the brute ripped his pants just low enough to expose his bottom.

"Shut the fuck up, louse." Shizu-chan's voice was already rough with lust. Izaya flinched as Shizu-chan entered him. Today's meeting was entirely unexpected and he hadn't prepared himself beforehand.

"Such an animal," he griped. The monster tried a few experimental thrusts and Izaya had to brace himself as pain shot through his body.

"I said shut it!" he growled, thrusting once more before pulling out with a frustrated grunt. "This isn't working! What the fuck did you do?" he flipped Izaya around and lifted him to sit on the counter top. He jumped a little when the cold countertop touched his scrotum.

"Shizu-chan is so hasty. I didn't know we would be meeting today so I didn't put any lube in my ass," Izaya said with a shrug. Shizu-chan eyed him suspiciously. He pulled Izaya's pants off, getting frustrated when he realized he had to remove his shoes first, then threw the jeans and underwear in a crumpled heap next to him on the counter. He grabbed Izaya's hips roughly and brought them to the very edge of the counter, so his ass was exposed better.

"Lick," he demanded, bringing Izaya's own hand up to his lips. Izaya complied, giving Shizu-chan a sultry look as he took two fingers in his mouth and gave them a gentle suck. Shizu-chan's lips curled in disgust and Izaya mentally laughed.

"I said lick," Shizuo barked. Izaya laughed, licking the same fingers before bringing them to his ass. Shizu-chan barely allowed him three seconds to lather the area before he reached underneath his knees to support Izaya's weight as he moved him off the counter and onto his throbbing erection. He went in much smoother this time.

"F-fuck," his monster grunted, grabbing hold of the edge of the counter.

"Ahh, much better," Izaya sighed, leaning back against the counter and kicking his feet in the air a little. It was rare that Shizu-chan fucked him from the front like this and Izaya was taking full advantage of staring at his face as it twisted from pleasure to annoyance.

"Shut up!" he commanded, a little softer than it had been before.

He started thrusting then, breath hitching as he picked up speed and force.

"By the way, did you notice tha-"

"Fuck flea, if you don't shut the hell up!" His weight was shifted as Shizu-chan reached over and grabbed Izaya's boxers out of his jeans, letting the jeans fall to the floor.

"Shizu-chan! Those are expen-" he didn't get the chance to finish as his own boxers were shoved into his mouth. His eyes widened in amusement.

"So mean Shizu-chan," he complained through the gag, knowing full well his words were unintelligible.

Shizu-chan shut his eyes again and picked back up on his thrusts. He had a one track mind.

Izaya watched his face, knowing full well that he was the only person who had ever seen Shizu-chan like this, eyes closed as he probably concentrated on the image of some big breasted bimbo he'd seen in a porn magazine. A wicked smirk curled around the underwear gag as the irony was not lost on him. 

He let out a soft gasp as Shizu-chan shifted his weight so he could grab wrap his fingers in the informant's hair to shove him roughly to his chest.

"Stop fucking looking at me like that." The shift in position had caused Shizu-chan's dick to start hitting a particularly sensitive spot within him. He felt his erection finally grow and he reached up to grasp onto the fabric at Shizu-chan's ribs as the hair traveling from Shizu-chan's navel coupled with the dunce's movements created a delectable friction against it. He shut his eyes and had to bite his lip to stifle a moan.

"Nnngnn," Shizu-chan groaned, signaling his impending release. Izaya grabbed his own erection and started pumping.

"Ah fuuuuuuck," he grunted as he came, shoving Izaya hard into the counter. The sensation set Izaya over the edge as well, and he moved his hand so all his semen would release on Shizu-chan abdomen.

Shizu-chan extricated himself quickly, dropping Izaya's legs and pulling out of him in one fluid motion. Izaya easily caught himself and removed his boxers from his mouth.

"So mean, Shizu-chan!" he whined, slipping back into his underwear as the brute zipped himself back into his pants.

"Damn it, bastard. This was a gift from Kasuka," he gripped as he tucked in his undershirt. "Now its got your stink all over it."

"Just like a monster, never satisfied. I couldn't very well ruin my clothes,"Izaya countered, securing his belt back into place and hiding a grimace at the uncomfortable feeling of Shizu-chan's cum leaking into his underwear. “Mine are much more expensive.”

"I'll have to wash my body 100 times to get this smell off me," Shizu-chan lit a cigarette and headed out the door just as Izaya was slipping into his shoes. He quickly secured them in place and skipped after him. 

"I suppose you're just going to ignore the fact that your cum is dripping out of my ass as we speak. And I have three appointments to keep before I can head home."

"Yea? Well you deserve it for all the shit you've put me through." Izaya sighed as the blonde left in the other direction, without even saying goodbye.

"You're so rude, Shizu-chan. You're just like an animal."

He shoved his hands in the pocket of his jacket as his thoughts drifted back to Emi.

There had been a handful of other girls who dared to encroach upon his territory where Shizu-chan was concerned, but Izaya had dealt with them easily enough and he didn't anticipate any major issues with this one either. Well, he wouldn't if not for the fact that she already seemed to know who he was. Manipulation was a lot harder to accomplish when the subject of it knew they were being manipulated. Harder, but not altogether impossible.

Then again, maybe she could be useful to him. It might be fun to play with Shizu-chan with different game pieces than they were used to. His wicked laugh filled the air as he danced down the street to meet with his next appointment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what do you guys think of Emi? I know she's kind of been a main focus and I do intend for her to be a main character throughout, but I have a plan for her!


	5. January 2010

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: SOME MATURE CONTENT

**January 2010**

The frigid night air made Izaya shiver and draw his jacket closer to his body. He watched as Emi came back into view and sat once again on her sofa. As expected she had spent all day alone in her studio apartment, leaving Shizu-chan alone to celebrate the New Year with his family. Izaya had been watching her sit at her coffee table, solemnly watching TV or reading for the better part of the evening. Apparently, she wasn't in any sort of mood to write. His phone rang then, and he took it out of his pocket to glance at it before placing it to his ear.

"Watanabe-san! How good to hear from you again! Calling to thank me for the present?" he asked.

"YOU LITTLE BASTARD! WHEN I GET MY HANDS-" Izaya pulled the phone away from his ear as he waited for the man to finish his tirade.

"Watanabe-san, I'm deeply troubled over this. I thought this was what you wanted. I specifically remember you saying you wanted a young girl with blue eyes and small prepubescent breasts. I just gave you what you asked for." Izaya smiled to himself as Emi's head fell forward and snapped back into place.

"SHE IS A HE!" Watanabe screamed through the phone.

"I couldn't find a girl of age who met that description. Besides, Sumi is an excellent girl! Just because he has a few extra parts doesn't mean you should be so quick to throw him aside. I'm shocked you would be so rude to poor Sumi." She was getting tired which meant Izaya would need to cut this conversation short.

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO FIND ME A COMPANY THAT SOLD UNDERAGE GIRLS! THAT WAS THE AGREEMENT!" Izaya clenched his jaw.

"I don't know how you got that impression, Watanabe-san, but I assure you, that's not the kind of work I do. I specialize in reconnaissance. Finding dirt on people who have spent a lot of money trying to keep that dirt covered up. Just like the dirt you've been covering up in your work at Nato Industries!" The man on the other side made a choking sound. "Thaaaat's right! I know all about how you've been using company funds to support your addiction to underage brothels." Another disgruntled noise. "And I know why you were kicked out of all those illegal brothels in Shinjuku and Saitama, you naught dog. Oh but don't worry! I've already taken the liberty of forwarding all the information I was able to uncover to the police in both those cities. Right again, Watanabe-san! They should be there any minute!"

Watanabe made another grunting noise as loud banging started on his end.

"Is that them now? Wow! They were quicker than I ever could have imagined! Well I guess that's Shinjuku's tax money hard at work. I had a wonderful time, Watanabe-san! Please call me again if I can assist you in any way while you're serving out your prison sentence!"

He shut his phone and replaced it in his pocket, then climbed down the tree he was in. He knocked as soon as he reached Emi's front door and heard a loud bang and a curse. He laughed, using that as an excuse to let himself in, rushing to get his shoes off in the entrance so he could enter the living room.

"Emi-chan! Are you okay!" he said, feigning panic. True to his suspicions, Emi was picking herself up off the floor, having apparently tripped over the coffee table. She looked over to him in surprise, which quickly melted away to anger.

"What do you think you're doing in my apartment?!" she asked, standing up the rest of the way and stomping towards him.

"I heard a bang and thought you were surely bleeding out just on the other side of the door." She made it to him and began trying to push him outside. Izaya held firm. "What kind of a man would I be if I didn't check on my friend when she could be in grave danger?" he wrapped his arms around her, effectively locking her arms to his chest, and carried her back to the sofa.

"We're NOT friends!" she cried out, kicking him. Izaya ignored it until reaching the sofa, then used it as an excuse to fall backwards onto it with her on top of him. She shrieked as his hold was loosened and she was able to push herself up. Izaya suspected it wasn't an accident when she pushed on his face several times in her attempts to remove herself from him.

"What is wrong with you?!" she yelled, finally managing to get up. It was then Izaya noticed a trickle of blood coming from a fresh wound on her left knee. He jumped up dramatically.

"See?!" he exclaimed, pointing at the site, "You're horribly wounded!" She looked down and rolled her eyes when she saw it.

"It's just a scratch. which, I am sure I needn't remind you, wouldn't even be there if it wasn't for you! Get out!" She pointed to the door, apparently not wanting to repeat the last few seconds. Izaya ignored her as he headed for the door to her bathroom, pretending to panic. "Hey!"

"There's no way I can leave you like this! You could bleed out here if you were left all alone tonight!" Emi followed him and stood in the doorway as he searched her medicine cabinet for a first aid kit.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she growled.

"What do you mean? Emi you shouldn't be standing up! You're only going to aggravate the injury!" He found the kit and headed back to the living area, ushering Emi out with him. "Here. You have to sit down so I can help you!"

"What?! I'm not sitting down while you're in MY apartment! Don't make me call the police!" she snapped at him. "What are you even doing here?" Izaya sat down at the small dining table, setting the first aid kit down and patting the second chair.

"There will be plenty of time for that once your wound is cared for. Look! You're even starting to look pale!" Emi sighed and snatched the kit off the table, heading to the sofa. Izaya remained at the table as he watched her haphazardly place a too small band aid over the area, without bothering to clean the oozing blood trailing down her leg.

"There. Happy?" she grouched, standing up again. Izaya shot her a grin.

"Aren't you going to offer me a drink?"

"I do apologize, Orihara-san," Emi-chan started, voice saccharine. "If I gave off any impression that I actually wanted you to be here right now. I assure you it was in error and I will do my utmost to ensure that you never again need to endure such egregious oversight on my part." She walked over to the door and held it open for him, bowing slightly and using her arm to point the way out. Izaya ignored her and once again patted the second chair at the dining table.

It seemed they had reached an impasse. Emi left the door open and moved towards the sofa once more, Izaya watching her every move. She turned the TV back up and plopped her feet on the coffee table, evidently determined to ignore Izaya.

"So you're just going to ignore me?"

"..."

"You underestimate me Emi-chan." With that, Izaya pulled out his cell phone and half heartedly listened to the TV while he browsed the Dollars website and chatted with Setton and Tarou Tanaka lazily. Half an hour later, he heard quiet snores coming from the sofa. He looked up and, much to his amusement, he saw Emi sleeping peacefully on the couch. His power move had gone completely ignored!

Laughing quietly, he went to the girls bed and grabbed a blanket. Then he covered her up and turned the TV off. Studying her face, he realized she was kinda cute when she wasn't spewing volatile garbage at him. A finger reached out to brush her cheek as he contemplated how the girl could be in such opposition of herself. For all the contempt she seemed to have for him, she certainly let down her guard easily.

Ah well. He grabbed her laptop off the coffee table and took it to her bed, using the pillows to make himself comfortable.

He did a deep search of the device, expecting to find grainy pictures of Shizu-chan, taken without the brute's knowledge. Instead, all he found were random works-in-progress and a questionable search history. If she had kept any creepy souvenirs from her stalking, they weren't on this laptop. Closing it, he stood up from the bed and began searching the apartment.

In the past, Izaya had scared off Shizu-chan's potential girlfriends with cheap methods; stealing their affections for himself or simply threatening them. But, based on the nature of the origins of her affections for the beast, he didn't think it would be so easy to dissuade her.

He searched the entire apartment and came up with nothing. She had no physical evidence in her apartment that she was a creepy stalker, much to Izaya's chagrin. How boring. He sighed and left the apartment.

He had just made it to the bottom of the steps when he had an idea. Laughing, he practically skipped back up the stairs.

* * *

He woke up early the next morning to Emi shrieking and throwing her pillow at him.

"What are you still doing here?! Why are you in my bed?!" Izaya lazily opened his eyes and stretched. He sat up slowly and glanced at where the voice had originated from. Emi was standing on her sofa, glaring at him.

"Ahh," he yawned, stretching his arms over his head. "Good morning, Emi-chan. Did you sleep well?" he asked pleasantly, slipping his bare feet from underneath the flat sheet and swinging them onto the floor. Her jaw dropped.

"... What?! Did I sleep well?! Are you kidding me?!" She jumped off the couch and made to move towards the bed. Izaya smirked as he stood allowing the flat sheet to fall to the bed and exposing his naked body to her. She shrieked, smacking a hand over her eyes and spinning around so quickly, Izaya thought she would lose balance

"WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!"

"Mmmm?" he asked, acting as though he had forgotten he had slipped out of his clothing before going to sleep. "Oh. I can't sleep feeling all confined like that." He grabbed his boxers from the folded pile on the floor and slipped them on before heading into the kitchen, not bothering to tell her his important bits were covered.

"PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON AND GET OUT!" she yelled.

"Ahhh Emi-chan," he whined, "It's too early for this. I need coffee!" He watched as Emi shuffled over to her bed, keeping her back to him, and grabbed his clothes. She backed up, bumping into a shelf, and held the articles out behind her awkwardly.

"Please. Just go." Izaya contemplated a moment before taking the clothes.

"I'll leave," he said "after we talk." Before she could respond, a loud, insistent banging on the door caused them both to jump. Izaya smiled as he dropped his clothes and skipped happily to the entryway before Emi could respond. He threw the door open and was only mildly shocked to see Shizu-chan standing there in his pajamas. His apartment was right next door.

"Hey are you oka- IZAYA-KUN!"

"Shizu-chan!" he started, feigning more surprise than he actually felt. "What are you doing here?"

"What the hell!" the blonde shouted. "That's what I should be asking you?! And why are you naked?!"

"Now, now Shizu-chan. I don't bother you when you're with a lady friend." He smirked as the monster in front of him stiffened. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back." He tried closing the door, but Shizu-chan's foot stopped him.

"The fuck, flea. I heard her screaming for you to leave. Doesn't sound like you guys are friends." Damn that unpredictable oaf.

"Ah that?" Izaya countered with an air of nonchalance. "It's nothing. It's just a game we like to play."

"That didn't sound like nothing," he growled like the true monster he was. "Hey! You alright in there?!" His eyes scanned the entryway for any sign of life.

"NO!" Emi answered from the living room. Tch. He didn't think that she would answer so easily, too afraid of drawing Shizu-chan's attention to herself. "Please make him go away!" Izaya smiled sweetly up at Shizu-chan as the monster reached out for his shoulder, dodging just before he reached him.

"Flea!" Shizu-chan called out in warning, reaching for the brunette again.

"Shizu-chan! I can't leave here in my underwear! What would the neighbors think!"

"That's fine! We'll arrange to have you escorted out in a body bag!" the brute roared, stepping further into the entryway.

"Wait!" Emi called from the other side of the entry door. "Don't come in here!" Izaya watched as Shizu-chan's face morphed from pure rage, to confusion, to solemn understanding, and back to rage again, this time with renewed vigor. He wondered briefly why those particular emotions had played there, but quickly abandoned the thought as the brute came after Izaya again who ducked underneath him and ran out onto the balcony. In hindsight, he probably should have at least thrown on a pair of jeans with his boxers.

Oh well. Too late for that now.

Shizu-chan lunged for him again and Izaya took off running down the steps, ignoring an old lady who had come out of her own apartment to see what all the fuss was about and yelled at him for public indecency.

Well this certainly wasn't what he had planned for this morning.

He lost Shizu-chan quickly, and headed back for Emi-chan's apartment. His clothes were sitting outside waiting for him with a note that read, 'I'm not here so don't even bother breaking in.'

After contemplating doing just that and deciding against it, he let himself in to the brute's apartment instead, who hadn't quite made it back from their morning exercise session. The half dozen times he had been here before, his searches had never really turned up anything so he didn't feel the need to snoop around this time. Instead, he turned to the direction of the bed with a wicked smile on his face. He set his clothes on a table and slipped his boxers off on his way over to it, tugging on his dick to coax it into an erection.

He searched Shizu-chan's bedside table for something suitable and found a bottle of lotion and some tissues. Laying down under the covers, his fingers went in smoothly, muscle memory hitting all the right spots to help him relax. He came quickly, the stench of the blonde beast assaulting his nostrils.

Sated, he rolled around in Shizu-chan's covers, spreading his essence on the fabric. He even grabbed the lone pillow and rubbed it between his thighs and across his abdomen.

Finished, he dressed quickly and left the apartment, wishing he could see Shizu-chan's face when he realized what had occurred in his bed.

* * *

Celty Sturluson did not make friends easily, a fact that she didn't think anyone, not even Shinra would be able to dispute without bold face lying. She just wasn't the type of person that people could easily approach. And she was fine with that. Really, it did not bother her. The friends she had made were good friends and she enjoyed being around them.

But then, as much as Celty was not an approachable person, she also wasn't the person who made enemies with normal people either.

Really, she wasn't mad at Emi. She really wasn’t. But how could the girl have possibly thought that?!

_ She had just said goodbye to Shizuo after visiting with him in the park. Emi walked up to her just as she was getting on her horse, shoulder’s hunched and tears welling behind her eyes. _

_ [Hey.. What's wrong?] she had asked the girl, thinking surely something must have happened.  _

_ "A-are you..." she started meekly before wiping the back of her hand against her eye. "Are you Shizuo's girlfriend?" Heavy tears started falling then as Celty took a moment to process what the girl had just asked. She hadn't seen her for several months, not since she had asked Celty's opinion on a thank you gift for Shizuo. Now she was back? Asking if she was dating Shizuo? _

_ Celty shook her hands and helmet frantically 'NO!’ before typing out a response. _

_ [What on earth gave you THAT idea?! Shizuo is just a friend!] The girl had to take a moment before she was able to read it. Relief flooded her face as she processed the characters. _

_ "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you!" She bowed politely, voice still small. _

_ [That's okay.] _

_ [But why would you ask me that?] _

_ [Wait do  _ **_you_ ** _ like Shizuo?] Emi read each text as Celty typed them out frantically, then looked away at the last one. _

_ "Um... w-well," Her face turned red and she turned away. _

_ I see. _

_ There was a moment of silence while they each processed. _

_ "Listen, please don't say anything! I know I've already asked you to keep secrets from him, but I'm just not ready yet!" she cried out turning back to Celty, grabbing her hand and looking into the reflective surface of her helmet. Celty thought about it for a moment, wondering if she should say something to Shizuo. This was twice now she had caught her behaving suspiciously around Shizuo. Well, she did have a good excuse the first time. _

_ [First, let me ask you something.] She nodded, determination spreading on her face. _

_ [Are you still following Shizuo?] She looked away, a light blush covering her nose and cheeks. _

_ "Not as much as I did before," she responded so softly, if Celty wasn't a Dullahan she might have missed it. Hmm _

_ [Thank you for being honest with me.] Her eyes grew wide and hopeful. _

_ [ Okay. I'll keep your secret for now but you have to promise me that you're going to tell him.] _

_ [Shizuo deserves that much.] _

_ The girl's lips pressed into a thin line as she contemplated what she had been told. Then she nodded resolutely. _

_ "Okay! I promise. I will work on the courage to tell him how I feel!" _

Honestly, Celty had no idea where the girl would get an idea like that. She and Shizuo didn’t spend that much time together and they never did anything even remotely romantic when they were together. To think that they were dating? It was just….. Too much! 

Well she really couldn’t fault the girl though. She guessed she could understand why she had jumped to that conclusion. Shizuo was exactly surrounded by women. Actually, she was pretty sure she was the only woman Shizuo ever really talked to. It really wasn;t that far of a leap to think they were dating when she thought about it like that. Or at the very least, something more than friends. 

She contemplated the conversation they had again as she traveled home for the night. Was it really okay for her to keep this from Shizuo? She knew it wouldn’t be right for her to tell him about a girl’s feelings for him under normal circumstances. But this girl had been stalking him for who knows how long this time. It wasn’t that she was dangerous - she wasn’t convinced anyone could be truly dangerous to Shizuo. Just that it was a little creepy of her to be following him like that. But then again, who was she to judge someone for being creepy?


	6. February 2010

**February 2010**

Simon's eyes narrowed when he saw Emi walking briskly down the opposite sidewalk, an irritated look maring her features. Izaya Orihara followed just a couple steps behind her, chatting happily about something Simon couldn't hear and Emi looked like she was about to turn around and punch him, something Simon wouldn't have thought the girl was capable of until now.

Izaya waved at him from across the street as they passed each other and Simon decided to go check on Emi. She jumped when he placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Emi! Izaya! Good day! How are you doing?" They both turned to face Simon, Emi's expression softening a bit.

"Simon!" she exclaimed, giving him a hug.

"Hello Simon. I wasn't expecting to see you today," Izaya remarked, causing Emi's face to turn sour again. Izaya's usual smile remained in place, even though Simon thought maybe he wasn't all that happy to have him in their space.

"What are you doing on streets with Izaya, Emi? You two on date now?" Simon asked. Emi's jaw dropped while Izaya started to laugh.

"No way would I date this butt-face!" she cried at the same time Izaya wrapped her in his arms and said "Yes! Emi-chan and I are dating!" She shoved him harshly and tried to smack him but he dodged it easily, leaping away from her laughing.

"Emi-chan is so mean!" he cried. "I never thought I'd be in such an abusive relationship!" Emi's face contorted in anger.

"We are NOT in a relationship! We are NOT friends! I DON'T like you! AND I AM NOT STALKING SHIZUO!" she screamed at him, causing several passersby to gawk at her a moment. Simon's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Izaya must have been hounding her for a long time. He glanced at the informant, seeing a sardonic grin painted on his features before they were carefully schooled into a look feigned hurt.

"I never said you were stalking Shizu-chan!" he whined. "Emi-chan is so mean! Thinking about other men when we're together!" Emi made to shove him but Simon stepped in her way, taking the brunt of the attack.

" _ You shouldn't mess with Emi like this _ ," he said in Russian, fixing a stern look on him.

"Huh? Simon why are you speaking Russian?" Emi asked, poking her head around his back to peer up at him. Izaya smiled almost sweetly and turned away.

" _ Who says I'm messing with her? _ " Izaya answered back. Simon felt Emi looking back and forth at them both but he kept his eyes locked on Izaya's retreating back.

"He's finally leaving?" Emi asked quietly, shock and relief washing into her voice. She came fully from behind him now to stand at his side as they watched Izaya give a wave.

"Yes, my dear. I have other things to attend to. Try not to miss me too much." he blew her a kiss and he felt Emi recoil.

"As if I'd ever miss you! Go get hit by a truck!”

_ "Izaya,"  _ Simon called _. "I will not let you use Emi as one of your playthings, _ " he warned. Izaya's smile curved into a more caustic one.

_ "I wouldn't dream of it." _

* * *

Things seemed to not be going too well for Izaya lately. There just wasn't enough excitement in his life. With Saki in the hospital, Masaomi Kida not speaking to him, and the war between the Blue Squares and the Yellow Scarves all but finished, he really had very little to do with his time these past few months. Shizu-chan provided some distraction of course, him and his sweet little stalker. But really, things would be much better once Mikado Riugamine moved to Ikebukuro next month. Yes, things should start getting very interesting around here then. But, until then, He would have to make do with the toys he had at his disposal now.

Ah! There she was now! He jogged to catch up to her.

"Ah, Emi-chan! I've been looking everywhere for you!" He saw the flinch in her shoulders when she heard his voice, a very sweet reaction. His human missed him!

"No!" she said firmly, whipping around, nearly dropping the brown paper sack of groceries she carried. "I am not doing this with you today. Go home."

"Well that's not very nice. I have been nothing but nice to you all this time and you're always so mean to me." He pretended to pout. That was, surprisingly, mostly true. Aside from the first couple times they met, he had always been kind enough to her in their interactions. From the outside - and from anybody who didn't know Izaya - it looked as though Izaya was genuinely trying to be friends with her and she was just being a bitch. Then again, anyone who actually knew him knew the girl was totally justified in wanting nothing to do with him. Still, he thought he saw her hesitate a moment.

"What do you want, Izaya," she sighed. He smiled sweetly to cover up the triumphant grin threatening to take over.

"I wanted to ask if you have plans for Valentine's Day tomorrow?" he asked, keeping his voice in a non threatening tone. She gawked at him.

"W-what?! Why do you want to know?" She peered into her bag, blushing.

"I was hoping we could spend the day together. I have it all planned out!" He began pacing theatrically in front of her "We'll spend the first part of the day at the amusement park riding the Ferris wheel, eating cotton candy," he got closer and lifted an eyebrow suggestively, "ride on the love boat." Her cheeks darkened to a beautiful shade of red.

"As if I'd ride anywhere within 100 feet of you!" He ignored her, stepping back to resume his pacing.

"Then I have a very romantic dinner planned at Hanamusashi and from there, we'll head to a very nice hotel in-'' he was cut off as he dodged a kick to his shins. "That's not very kind Emi!"

"As if I'd spend time doing anything romantic with you let alone go to a hotel!" she exclaimed, aiming a series of kicks at his legs and ankles. He easily dodged them all.

"Well then! I'll pick you up tomorrow morning! See you then," he waved happily at her and darted down the street, ignoring when she screamed out "I AM NOT GOING OUT WITH YOU TOMORROW!"

* * *

He arrived at her apartment the following morning at 6am sharp, knowing she wouldn't even be out of bed yet, let alone left in an effort to elude him. To his surprise, when he let himself into her apartment not only was she dressed, she was putting homemade chocolates into little boxes and packing them delicately in a small bag. She sighed when he stepped in.

"Can't you take a hint? I don't want you here," she greeted without turning around.

"Emi-chan's so mean," he whined, coming to stand beside her.

"Here's a novel idea; if you don't like the way I talk to you, don't break into my house so early in the morning."

"Ahh, but then you'd leave and I wouldn't get to spend the day with you." She snorted at this as she finished filling the bags and, after shoving him aside, placed the whole thing in the refrigerator.

"Again, if I'm so mean to you, don't spend the day with me at all. I don't understand why you continue to come around people you know despise you," she countered, grabbing a rag to wipe down the table's surface. Izaya left the area and made himself comfortable on the sofa.

"Well, I suppose when it comes to you, I just don't understand why you're so hostile to me," he started, flipping through a manga she had sitting on the coffee table. "Usually, when people hate me so vehemently, it's always for a good reason." Then his eyebrow knitted together as he added as an afterthought, "Except Shizu-chan."

He tuned her out for a moment as he thought about that. Shizu-chan was the only person who had ever known right from the beginning what kind of person he was. From the very beginning, Shizu-chan had been an opposing force to him, something he had had absolutely no control over. And if there was anything in this world that would coax his temper to flare, it was having zero control.

He placed his pieces strategically over the game board by manipulating them to do exactly what he wanted them to, expecting them all to fall in line - even delighting when they would surprise him on occasion. But Shizu-chan? There was no manipulating him, he always did the exact opposite of what he had wanted him to do. That's why Izaya hated him so much.

But this girl, this human girl, Izaya loved her. Not specifically her, of course, but the very nature of her humanity. She had made the decision to love a monster, based solely on a hero-complex. And even more adorable was her sole reason for despising him. She had based her entire opinion on someone based off of what some guy thought about him. What a human thing to do. He looks at her then. She was staring at him expectantly, hands on her hips.

"What? I wasn't listening." She bristled and Izaya laughed.

"Ugh! Why are you even here?!" She stomped into her bathroom and slammed the door only to emerge a few moments later to grab a change of clothes. She came out about 15 minutes later and Izaya whistled. She was wearing a nice button down dress that flared flatteringly at her hips and had french-braided her hair diagonally down her head and braided the leftover into a bun that looked almost like a flower. And Izaya couldn't ever remember a time when she had even spent the energy to throw on lipstick, let alone a full face of makeup.

"What?" she snapped.

"Nothing," he responded, hands raised in friendly surrender. "You look nice. You could almost pass for a normal human now." She threw him a look.

"I have things to do today, so please feel free to leave whenever you want." Izaya laughed. He really loved humans.

* * *

Emi only brought two boxes of the chocolates she had made, placed in packaging slightly more decorated than the others left in the fridge, on the train with them to Saitama. They rode in silence, Emi tense and Izaya smiling happily at all his humans.

When they got off, they walked a few blocks before Emi stopped short. He turned back to look at her, raising an eyebrow as she glared down at the boxes she clutched in her hands.

"Something wrong, Emi-chan?" She was silent for a few more moments before she fixed that gaze on him. It wasn't her usual glare- though a glare it still was- but there was something sad that bled into the hard look.

"You need to stay here," she said firmly, her tone missing the usual anger he had come to expect from her.

"Hmm? But Emi-chan, I w-"

"No. You are staying here. I-I j-just..." Her voice began to waver and she looked away. "Please," she said softly. "Just stay here."

Honestly, he really thought she knew better than to show that sort of weakness in front of him.

"Hmmm," he contemplated. "If I do.. I wonder... what will Emi-chan give me?" he asked, almost as if he was thinking out loud. Her gaze snapped back to him, a little bit of her familiar rage seeping through, before she looked away again.

"W-what do you want?" That easy? Where was she going?

His eyes narrowed and he placed a finger to his lips in mock contemplation.

"Hmmm… What does Emi-chan have that I want? Ah!," The finger to his lip shot up as though he'd just had a revelation. "I want a kiss from Emi-chan!" Again, her eyes shot to his as she looked for a sign he was joking.

"There has to be something else you want!" she asked, desperation bleeding into her voice. "Come on, you don't actually want to kiss me!" Of course he didn't really want to kiss her. It was more that he wanted to see if she would be willing to kiss him in order to complete whatever task she had set out to do alone. He shook his head, smiling.

"Nope! That's the only thing I want!" Her eyes grew wide as her shoulders slumped, defeated.

"Fine! You stay here and when I get back I will kiss you."

"Uh-uh, Emi-chan," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not stupid. You'll go do what you set out to do and then come back and act like we never had a deal in the first place. You have to kiss me first." He crossed his arms and gave her a victorious grin. "Oh! And it has to last at least 30 seconds!" Her eyes were wide and she took a few hesitant steps back, looking around her for any sign of help. The streets were starting to fill with people on their way to work or school, but none of them were in any position to help her with the predicament she had found herself in. She looked back at him.

"How do I know you won't just follow me anyway?"

"You don't. This is a leap of faith. You're the one who wants something here, so you're the one who has to take the risk. So what will you do, Emi-chan?" Her breathing quickened and she looked around again.

"N-not here." She was going to do it?! Where was she going that she absolutely needed to be alone?

Izaya began looking around also, spotting a manga cafe not far away.

"There!" he said pointing to it. She followed his finger and nodded, heading towards the building. Izaya paid for a private room and held the door open for her. She entered hastily.

"Okay, let's get this over with!" she turned back to him and as soon as the door was closed she pressed her lips to his. He smiled a bit and pushed her back.

"Not so fast, Emi-chan. You can't kiss someone like that!" She gawked at him.

"Are you kidding?!" He moved past her to sit on the sofa, patting the seat next to him. She glared at him, but grudgingly sat down beside him.

"Now set your things down," he said motioning towards the small table in front of them.

"You just said it had to be 30 seconds! You didn't say anything about having to put my stuff down!" she cried out, clearly wanting the boxes and her usual bag as an extra layer between them.

"Well, now I'm changing the rules. Again Emi-chan, you're the one who wants something from me. You can always decide at any point that you don't want this and we can go do your thing together or you can even put it off for another day! The choice is yours and yours alone to make." She seemed to contemplate this for a moment before setting her things down. Evidently, whatever she had to do had to be done today, and it had to be done alone.

"And your jacket," he said, slipping out of his own. A feral noise tore through her throat as she practically threw herself out of her jacket.

"Come on! Let's get this over with!" She grouched again.

"Well, I don't know. Why don't we order something to drink," he said, picking up the drink menu.

"Izaya," she warned.

"All right. All right. If you want to kiss me so badly," he scooted closer to her, placing an arm on the sofa behind her and twisting so his torso was facing her more. She looked as though she was going to say more, but decided against it. She twisted her body towards his as well.

"Well? Ready?" She nodded, determined.

He placed his other hand on her cheek and dipped his head to brush his lips against hers. She stilled, lips icy and stiff against his as she glared daggers at him. Not exactly the most romantic of kisses. So he did what any rational person would do.

He bit her bottom lip. Hard

She gasped, trying to shove him away, but he stayed firm, easily sliding his tongue across the inside of her lip in an attempt to sooth where he had bitten her. The tip of her tongue brushed his, whether by accident or on purpose, he couldn't decide. She squeezed her eyes shut all the same.

Hands that had been trying to push him away just a second ago, suddenly grasped at the fabric of his shirt. He moved the arm from the back of the sofa to wrap around her and pulled her in closer. She resisted at first but then melted into him, opening her mouth to let his tongue glide against hers in a sloppy dance.

She moaned, bringing a hand to his neck to pull him in deeper and he fought off a smirk. She was too easy. Her feelings for Shizu-chan must not be as strong as he had thought. Ah well. He broke the kiss to run his lips along her jawline, making his way to the pulse points on her neck.

"Ah! H-Hewajima-san!" she gasped, when he sucked lightly. Okay, or maybe she was just fantasizing about Shizu-chan.

He was fine with that. He could work with that. He grinned against her neck as the full force of what was happening hit her. She shoved him away harshly and he admired her bright red face as she gathered up her things.

"You promised! Stay here!" she commanded as she stood at the door with her back to him. Then she was gone.

"Sorry, Emi-chan. But there is absolutely no way I am going to stay here now."

He grabbed his jacket as he followed her out, staying several yards away, watching curiously as she stopped every once in a while, shaking her head viciously. 

They arrived at a cemetery and she stood at the entrance a few moments before going inside. He ducked behind one of the monuments to watch as she stood in front of another one, lighting an incense. Her lips were moving, but he was too far away to hear anything so he snuck to another monument that was located behind her and was a little bit closer.

"... but anyway! Besides that, things are mostly good! Oh! I brought you some chocolate! Like the ones we used to make on Valentine's Day." She set down one of the boxes at the monument and started opening the other.

"Itadakimasu!" she said as she placed the candy in her mouth. "Oishi! Just like you used to make, ne Ka-chan!" It hit Izaya like a punch in the gut. She was visiting her mom's grave. It must be a tradition she observed. Valentine's Day is such a weird day to visit your dead mom though. She put the empty box in her bag.

"Well! I suppose it's time to wash your grave then, ne?" She set her bag down and Izaya had to duck back behind his hiding place as she went to fill a bucket with water.

"Ne, Ka-chan?" she asked, as she started scrubbing the monument. "You remember the guy I told you about? The one who beat… well you know?" Izaya chanced a look at the girl as her scrubs were getting less effective. "Well… I actually moved in next door to him. Oh completely by accident of course! It wasn't something that I planned! But, actually… it turns out…. He really…." Izaya strained his ears as her voice got softer. She stood unmoving a moment more before returning to her work.

"Well, actually at first I thought he was a big jerk! You know when I first found out I lived next to him I tried to thank him! But he didn't even remember me! Can you believe that?! Then he told me not to be so polite and got mad when I wasn't!" She started scrubbing harder, working out her frustration at the blonde monster. Izaya stifled a chuckle. That sounded like Shizu-chan.

"There was no way I was going to talk to him after that! I ended up buying him a gift card to some bakery to thank him instead. No conversation needed. But then, he really helped me out again and I realized... he's actually a really nice person. I think I'm going to give him chocolates today. In person this time! Okay! I'll be right back!" Izaya hid again as she took the bucket back to empty it. She came back and sat down in the same spot as before.

"So, what else? Ah! I started eating at this great…" The rest of her visit was uneventful. She talked to her mom about the boring mundane tasks in her life, not mentioning him once. When it was time to leave, she placed her hand on the monument and bowed her head. Then walked out of the cemetery without another word.

He wasn't all that surprised when she took an entirely different route back to the train station, completely 'forgetting' him still 'waiting' at the manga cafe.

"I can't believe you forgot about me," he said, coming up behind her. Her shoulders dropped instantly and she turned around slowly as if she was hoping if she took long enough, his apparition would just disappear. She let out a small whine when she saw him, confirming his suspicion that she intentionally didn't go back for him. Apparently resigned, she boarded the train, Izaya following directly behind.

* * *

The train ride back was very much the same as the way there, only this time Izaya kept trying to hold her hand. When they arrived back to her home, she went straight to the refrigerator after attempting and failing to slam the door in his face. Izaya came to stand directly behind her, leaning over her to peer into the fridge.

"Well you're being very rude to someone you were just making out with only a few short hours ago." He dodged an elbow to his rib cage as he reached in behind her to grab a bottle of water.

"You're being very rude, grabbing things that don't belong to you!" she countered, grabbing out the bag of chocolates she had prepared before, letting him have the water. "And we were not making out!"

"Of course we were! I can't believe how into it you got!" he sat down on the couch and watched as she counted the bags making sure she had enough. "I'm not crazy about you fantasizing about Shizu-chan but if that's what you have to do until you can move on from him, then be my guest! You can fantasize about him all night tonight at the hotel too!" he leaned back against the sofa and spread his arms out.

"Okay so I've got 18 left now…" she was muttering at the kitchen table, apparently determined to ignore Izaya. A solid strategy, he had to admit. Then she grabbed the bag and headed out the door.

Izaya caught up to her quickly, falling into step with her as she made her way to Russia Sushi.

"Are you ignoring me now?" he asked her, putting his arms behind his head.

"..."

Ahh. It was a strategy she employed often. Allowing him to talk and talk, something he was incredibly good at, but got very boring when she refused to even react to what he was saying. He got bored with it quickly. Usually he just left, but today he promised her he would spend the entirety of the day with her, and Izaya Orihara never backed out on his promises.

"You know, on second thought, I don't know how I'm going to feel if you call out Shizu-chan's name when I'm inside you tonight," he said, feigning contemplation. He thought he heard an indignant huff. "That might just be too much for my ego to bear."

"..."

"Maybe we should stop and get a ball-gag before we go to the hotel." he said, clapping his hands together and drawing the attention of some of the people nearby. Still nothing, though she did falter in her steps for a moment. "It should help you with your fantasy even! Shizu-chan would probably be into something like that."

"Simon!" she called out then, seeing the tall man outside Russia Sushi several yards ahead of them. She took off running as Izaya slowed down and watched as she threw herself into the man's arms, laughing. She took out a chocolate box from her stash and handed one to him.

"Simon," he greeted when he finally closed the distance. Emi scowled at him again and Simon's piercing gaze shot through him. Damn that man. He was probably the only guy in the world Izaya wouldn't want to see truly pissed off.

"Izaya! Good day! Happy Valentine's Day! Are you off to meet girlfriend? Bring her by for Russia Sushi!"

"Ah no Simon. I'm here with Emi to spend Valentine's Day with her." Said girl bristled.

"I never asked you to do that," she grumped from her spot beside Simon.

"Of course you didn't! I asked you!"

"And I said no!" she shot back.

"Huh! You are fighting? Fighting not good. Come inside and eat! You feel better, yes? You and Izaya not loving each other?" Simon led Emi into the restaurant, leaving Izaya on the street.

"Eww, don't say such gross things Simon," she said as they entered the building.

* * *

Denis looked up as Emi entered the restaurant with Simon. His eyes widened slightly at her outfit. He had never seen the girl dressed up before. Was she on a date?

"Emi-chan! I'm so hurt! How could you deny us even after kissing me like that in the manga cafe this morning!" Izaya whined, entering after the two. Woah what?! He must be messing with her. Emi wouldn't kiss Izaya.

Emi, who was standing at the counter, ignored him and instead greeted Denis. She wasn't even going to deny it?

"Hi Denis! Look! I made you a chocolate!" She pulled out a box for Denis. He took a break from chopping up the order and accepted the gift.

"Thanks Emi. I'll enjoy this later." She nodded and took her usual seat at the counter. Izaya sat down next to Emi just as Simon brought out some waters. Simon fixed a look on Izaya who in turn busied himself with his straw.

"So? What have you two been up to this morning?" Denis asked, finishing the order he was on and handing it off to Simon.

"Oh, well I went to Saitama this morning to visit with some old friends from middle school," Emi said, also busying herself with her straw. She's lying. Why is she lying?

"Liar," Izaya said, bored. "You made out with me in the manga cafe and then you went to see your dead mom." Denis squeezed the handle of his knife a little harder. That little shit, talking to her like that. Emi stood up abruptly.

"What the hell! You followed me?! You were supposed to stay there! That was the agreement! I kiss you, you stay there!" There was an agreement? She had actually kissed him?

"I told you, it was a risk you had to take. I made it perfectly clear there was a chance I wouldn't keep to our bargain, but you took the chance anyway. Besides, I left you alone didn't I? You didn't see me again until the train station."

"Unbelievable! No wonder you don't have any friends! I just wanted to do one thing on my own and you couldn't even give me that!" Emi grabbed her bag and started leaving.

"Hey wait," Denis called after her. Simon was waiting to grab Izaya if he made to follow her but he didn't even try.

"I'm sorry Denis. Simon. I'll come back and eat later. I'm too mad to really enjoy it right now anyway."

Izaya didn't even watch as Emi left, too focused on appeasing Simon. In retrospect, he probably shouldn't have provoked her like that in front of Simon and Denis. He was just tired of her ignoring him. And she didn't offer _ him _ any chocolate. Simon sat down next to him and he prepared himself for the veiled threats.

"So… you sweet on Emi?" Denis asked, catching him off guard. He looked at Simon, whose gaze cut into him again. He guessed that could be considered a veiled threat

"In a manner of speaking," he lied easily. His feelings towards Emi were about the same as what a biologist felt towards a sample of mold they were growing.

"Mmm," Denis said, setting a plate of ootoro in front of him. "Not gonna get anywhere with her if you don't stop teasing her all the time." He took a bite, relishing in the flavor as it slid easily down his throat.

"Ah but she's so much fun to tease. Although, I will admit I may have taken things a bit too far just now," he conceded. Really, it wasn't too difficult to admit when it meant he wouldn't end up in the bay tonight. If ever anyone would be able to catch him like that, it would be these two. It wasn't that he was scared of them- because why would Izaya Orihara be scared of any human- it was just that he preferred keeping his body intact for the moment. He knew he would have to push these two pretty hard to get them to enact any sort of violence on him, but he had a feeling he was toeing that line a little too closely at the moment.

"Mmm yea, I think so. You should give her some time to cool off and then apologize. Sounds like today was a special day for her and you ruined it." Well of course he did. That's what he did. Honestly, they shouldn't be surprised.

"Of course."

Izaya finished the rest of his lunch quickly after that and left, probably looking for Emi.

"Alright! He's gone!" Denis called. Emi came out of the storage room with a sour look on her face.

"Ugh! Why is he such a poop-turtle?!" she groaned, sitting back down in her original spot.

"Izaya just lonely." Simon said.

"Well maybe if he wasn't so mean to people, he would have more friends." Denis couldn't disagree with that. The informant treated people as though they were toys, breaking them until they were no fun to play with anymore and throwing them away. An attitude like that left very little room for lasting friendships.

"I can't disagree with you there, Emi..."

He talked with Simon some while Emi ate in silence. Then she paid for her food and left.

_ "How long do you think he's been messing with her like that _ ," Denis asked, turning to Simon.

_ "I caught him following her around last week. But I got the feeling she's been dealing with him for awhile now, _ " he responded.

" _ You think it has anything to do with Shizuo?" _

_ "I don't doubt it. She's been following him again since at least January, _ "

Denis shook his head then. _ "Even sooner than that. Tom said he saw her watching him from behind a tree back in November. Izaya must've caught on to that too, _ " he said, remembering when he and Tom had discussed it a few months ago.

" _ We need to keep an eye on her. I don't know what Izaya's game is, but it's not going to end well for Emi." _

He nodded in agreement then sighed. " _ This might not even be a problem if she would just tell Shizuo how she feels about him. Izaya would have a lot tougher of a time getting to her if they started dating." _

Simon shrugged.  _ "If they start dating. Shizuo may not want to date Emi." _

Denis eyed his friend. " _ What's wrong with Emi?"  _ he said, coming to her defense.

Simon shrugged again. " _ Nothing. Just that Shizuo might get angry when he finds out she's followed him all this time. It  _ is _ a little creepy. _ "

Denis had to concede. It was creepy that she followed him around the way she did. It was something they had both silently agreed to overlook about her when she had first started doing it again, but even they knew something so backhanded and sneaking would piss Shizuo off. Perhaps Emi knew it too.

* * *

Tom really kind of hated Valentine's Day. It hadn't always been like that. In school he remembered getting excited about it. Something about the anticipation of seeing who would leave you chocolates. Which girl got you the exact flavor you liked. It had been fun back then.

But now? Well… now…

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE FRICKING KIDDING ME!" his friend yelled as he threw a punch at a guy.

This holiday seemed to put Shizuo in a really bad mood.

He walked out of the bath house/brothel while the blonde continued his assault on the men inside. Yep. They definitely wouldn't be allowed back in there again. That was probably fine. They could wait for their client outside next time.

"Damn it! This whole day just brings out the ass holes!" Shizuo growled as he left the building. It was still standing so that was a good sign. "Don't worry, I didn't break nothing this time."

"Well that's something, right?"

They started walking towards their next client. Emi was standing a few yards ahead, probably not expecting them to turn back this way. She looked nice today. He nodded at her when they got closer and she gave him a tight smile in response, their usual interaction over the past few months.

They were getting closer now and he kept waiting for her to retreat into the alley so Shizuo wouldn't notice her. But she didn't. She remained rooted to that spot, out in the open where Shizuo definitely would have noticed her. They passed her.

Well that was weird. He turned his head to glance back at her as they continued forward. Was she okay? She was standing in that same spot, staring back the way they had just come. He was wondering if he should go back and check on her when, suddenly, she turned to face them, a look of determination on her face.

"H-Hewajima-san?" She called, causing Tom's jaw to drop in shock. Shizuo stopped walking and turned back.

"Huh? Yea? What is it?," he grumbled. Tom wasn't sure who he should be watching so he kept turning his head to look at each of them.

She started forward, covering the distance between them in seconds. Her face turned a darker shade of red.

"U-u-u-um…"

"Yea?" he prompted. Tom watched as the girl reached into her bag and pulled out a pretty box. Chocolates?! He looked back at Shizuo to gauge his reaction. The blonde had an eyebrow raised but otherwise looked wholly unimpressed.

"U-u-u-um. H-h-here," she said, holding out the box to Tom. Wait… Tom?

"Huh? Me?" he asked stupidly, pointing a finger at himself. Had he gotten it wrong this whole time? Was she really crushing on him?

"Yea. This one is for you," she said with a light smile, looking at him. He reached out and took it from her hesitantly.

"Uhhhh, thanks?" he said, not really sure how to act in this moment.

"Mmm, your welcome!" she answered brightly. Then she took a steadying breath and reached into her bag again, bringing out another box. This one she held out to Shizuo without looking at him at all.

"Here," she said softly. Shizuo looked at it a moment then took it.

"Thanks! I've never gotten chocolate on Valentine's Day before," he said with a smile. Emi looked like she was about to pass out.

"O-oh," she breathed. "Y-yea. Uhm. No problem." Shizuo turned to leave.

What? Why is he leaving? That was as good a confession as he was likely going to get!

"So why are you giving us these?" Tom asked, causing Shizuo to turn back.

"Huh? Ah oh w-well… U-um I w-was uh actually hoping you might um be able to uh help me," she said, looking at Shizuo.

"Oh yea? What do ya need?" Shizuo asked.

"U-um. W-well I was uh h-hoping you um could uh get in touch with uh with Celty?" How the hell does this girl know Celty?

"Eh? Sure I got her number. But how the hell do you know Celty?" Thank you, Shizuo.

"Ahhh weeell," she started awkwardly, scratching her cheek with her pointer finger. "She ahhh she helped me with something awhile back, I guess." Reeaaaally? Did she really expect them to believe that?

"Oh yea, Celty's good like that?" What?! Tom gawked at Shizuo. He couldn't honestly believe that could he? But he must because he pulled out his phone and started dialing. "I'll call her now."

He thought he saw her face pale a little but he might have been imagining it.

"Thank you!," she said sweetly, looking at her feet.

"Hey, Celty. It's Shizuo. I got a girl here who wants to talk to you." He handed the phone to Emi. "Here. You know she doesn't speak right?" Emi nodded and took the phone.

"Um hi Celty? It’s Emi. I just wanted to give you some chocolates I made for Valentine's Day and was wondering if you could meet up. Um if you want to text me my number is…" she gave her phone number slowly, twice. Then she hung up and handed the phone back to Shizuo.

"Thank you so much for that," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out another box. "Here. I made way too much this year." Shizuo took the box from her.

"Thanks! I really like sweets!" She beamed at him.

"W-well, goodbye then!" she said, waving, then she took off in the other direction, even though Tom knew for a fact she lived in the same direction they were going.

They walked in silence for a while before Tom finally spoke up.

"Soooo.. She was nice."

"Yea. It was really nice of her to give me two," he said, bringing the boxes up to examine them. "She said she made them?"

"Yea. I think that's what she said." Tom had already placed his in his pocket.

"Huh.. I didn't hear her cooking last night," he said, depositing the boxes in his own pocket.

"Huh." Tom said absentmindedly. It was a shock that she had approached Shizuo today. He wondered if she had been planning to confess to him instead of just giving him chocolates but then got nervous. And how had Shizuo not noticed that she was clearly nervous talking to him. The guy was his best friend but he could be really dense sometimes.

He pulled the box out of his pocket once more to inspect it. He didn't think it meant anything that Shizuo couldn't hear her cooking last night. She could have prepared them before he got home or even just did it quietly. The boxes definitely looked like they could have been store bought. He opened it to inspect the chocolate inside. It was a small bonbon. Definitely homemade. It didn't look terrible but he couldn't imagine a store selling this to anyone, especially not for Valentine's day.

"These are for sure homemade, Shizuo."

"Yea?" They stopped walking and Shizuo leaned over to inspect the chocolate.

Wait a second.

He snapped his gaze to Shizuo.

"What do you mean you 'didn't hear her cooking last night'?"

"I didn't hear her cooking," he said with a shrug. "Anytime my neighbor on the other side cooks, she makes so much noise. It pisses me off but I always thought, 'hey, she's gotta eat'. But now I'm thinking she really doesn't have to make that much noise if Emi can cook and be quiet about it. I'm gonna say something to the landlord."

"You know Emi? Have you guys talked before?" Tom asked, incredulous that Shizuo had noticed Emi in any capacity and hadn't noticed she'd been stalking him.

"Sure. Didn't you hear me? She's my neighbor. We've talked a couple times. Hey, you know Emi too. She's that girl at Russia Sushi that one time, remember? The one who really enjoyed it? I think she eats there almost everyday." Tom nodded, still grappling with the fact that Shizuo has been aware of this girl since he has and hasn't noticed she's a stalker…. His stalker!

"Yea, sure. I remember her. You gave her some of your food. I've seen her around some since then too. You talk to her much?" Tom asked as they started walking.

"No. She mostly keeps to herself. I think the flea tries talking to her a lot too. I caught him over there right after New Years, hassling her. She didn't come outside though and didn't want me coming in so I wonder if she's got something more going on with him or if he's messing with her."

"I don't think she has anything going on with Izaya," Tom said, taking in all the information he was getting.

"No? I hope not. She's too nice a girl to get mixed up with that smarmy bastard. Hey, let's stop in here for a minute. I'm thirsty."

"Sure," Tom said, entering the convenience store door Shizuo held open for him.

So Shizuo knew about Emi. Did Emi know Shizuo knew who she was? He had a feeling things were going to start heating up pretty soon.

* * *

Izaya watched as Emi finally made it to her front door. He had guessed easily enough that she had gone around to the back entrance where they received their supply trucks when she had left Russia Sushi earlier. He had decided it best not to interact with her with Simon or Denis around. They were getting a little overprotective.

Instead, he waited for her to come out on her own and then followed her while she searched for Shizu-chan. She always got this air about her when she was looking for him, head turning this way and that, eyes searching for a mop of blonde hair, muscles tensed in anticipation.

He watched the look of sheer delight when she finally spotted him, walking down the sidewalk. Watched as she finally worked up the courage to talk to him only to have a little boy bump into her when she started walking towards him. Watched as she helped the boy up and gave him a box of her homemade chocolates. Watched as she built the courage again only to have it deflated once more when Shizu-chan walked into a bath house with his boss. Watched as she finally, finally, got the courage to go up to him. Watched as she handed a box of chocolates to Shizu-chan's boss. Then one to Shizu-chan. Then another one to Shizu-chan.

He didn't mind it though. It's not like he even liked chocolate in the first place. It would just have gone to waste if she had given him one.

Finally, she went home and he had just reached the landing when indignation hit him full force. He watched as Emi took the bag of remaining chocolates and hung them from the door knob of Shizu-chan's apartment.

The nerve! He hadn't gotten a single one yet Shizu-chan gets all the leftovers! The moment Emi was inside her apartment, Izaya stomped over and swiped the bag from the door. He walked to the garbage bin on the first floor and dumped them in, using his foot to crush them up, just for good measure.


	7. March 2010

**March 2010**

"Shizu-chan!" the brunette scolded. "Not so rough! You're going to break Yuki-san's precious bed frame and then where will I be." Said blonde ground into him harder, fingers digging into his hips, almost certainly leaving bruises.

"Like I give a fuck. I don't even know who that is. You're the one that led me here in the first place. If somebody gets pissed at you, it's not my fault."

"Tch, you're a barbarian." He shifted so he could rest his chin on his arms and close his eyes as though he were taking a nap and there wasn't an ogre thrusting into him from behind. Shizu-chan's grunts filled the bedroom of one of his least favorite humans and he smirked at the thought of her walking in on them in this delicate position. Unfortunately, she wouldn't get a very good view, as Shizu-chan only got their pants out of the way enough to get at the part he wanted, but she would still be able to discern exactly what was happening if she were to show up.

That was highly unlikely though. Yuki-san was out of town on a business trip Izaya had set up. With any luck, she wouldn't be coming back. Ever.

"Fuck!" Shizu-chan gasped, bringing his attention back to the current situation. His thrusts were picking up now, coming in shorter, stronger bursts. Izaya sighed. What a beast. Shizu-chan was so selfish, pinning his hips to the mattress so he couldn't reach his dick, even if he had wanted to. Then again, he never really wanted to _that_ badly.

"Ahhh!" the blonde moaned, shuddering and filling Izaya with hot sticky cum. The informant sneered.

"Now I'll have to shower before I leave." The blonde was off him the instant he released and Izaya rolled over, allowing some of Shizu-chan's cum to fall onto Yuki-san's duvet. He kicked off his shoes and pants.

"Not my problem," the blonde retorted, already zipped back into his pants and lighting a cigarette. Izaya scowled again.

"All these years and you're still a selfish lover." Shizu-chan snorted, turning to leave.

"Is that what you call it? Don't act like some helpless girl, flea. You get just as much out of this as I do."

"Tch." Shizu-chan _really_ annoyed him sometimes.

He hopped in the shower the moment Shizu-chan left, taking his time, as usual, to ensure every last bit of the monster was purged from his body.

By the time he exited Yuki-san's lavish home, the sun had already begun to set. He headed towards Emi's apartment, using alleyways to avoid Shizu-chan.

For the week or so after Valentine's Day, he had spent every spare moment he could with her, taking care of most of his work from his cell phone. As inconvenient as that was, he had suddenly been filled with determination to steal away the girl's affections from Shizu-chan.

Of course, this constant interaction with the girl also left him open to attacks from Shizu-chan. For one, the girl never left Ikebukuro during that time. And two, she _was_ his neighbor. They were bound to cross paths even she hadn't been stalking him.

To his glee, Shizu-chan completely ignored her presence every time they stumbled into each other, leaving the girl a bit more depressed each time. That must have really been weighing on the girl because in the past week he had been absent, the tracker he had shadowing her reported that she hadn't stalked him at all. Instead, she stayed home, furiously typing away on her laptop.

It seems Shizu-chan was determined her affections should be swayed from him as well, even if he was unaware of them to begin with.

At this point, he was positive that Shizu-chan _at least_ knew of Emi's existence. In the idiot's mind, Emi was likely just another girl Izaya was toying with, something that wasn't at all untrue, even if there was a bit more to it than that.

But recently, he hadn't been able to visit his dear Emi, getting caught up in some business affairs that couldn't be dealt with over the phone. It was high time he went and saw her.

He rounded the corner and climbed the stairs leading to her home, stopping short when he saw Shizu-chan standing outside. What is he…

His brows shot up in surprise.

Shizu-chan was standing outside Emi's door, a hand resting against the door frame, as if it had just been attempting a knock but lost its strength halfway through. He looked forlorn, like he was contemplating something that he just couldn't quite piece together in that ameba brain of his.

"Well Shizu-chan, I never thought you would be one to indulge in my sloppy seconds," he said casually, strolling up behind him but still keeping his distance. The blonde stiffened, shooting a glare at Izaya.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he growled, turning to face him fully. Izaya smiled, pulling out his switchblade, anticipating the fight that was nearly inevitable.

"I've been neglecting my sweet Emi-chan's needs for too long and that little warm up earlier got me in _just_ the right mood." Shizu-chan snarled.

"Izaya-kun!" he stepped forward a step as Izaya stepped back.

"Oh? Something the matter, Shizu-chan? Jealous my body doesn't solely belong to you?" He sliced a wide gash in Shizu-chan's arm then moved it to his throat as the blonde grabbed him by his collar and slammed against the railing.

"It's got nothing to do with that. That girl can't fucking stand you. It's obvious in the way she reacts to your presence. As if a girl that repulsed by you would let you do anything so vile to her."

"Well, I'm pretty repulsed by you and I let you inside me on a fairly regular basis," he shot back, relishing the way the blondes face contorted in rage.

"That's not the same!" the brute yelled, slamming him once again into the railing. His knife dug into Shizu-chan's neck, drawing blood. "She's not a psychopath."

"Ahh, I suppose..."

He watched, almost transfixed, as a dribble of blood made its way down Shizu-chan's neck and dipped beneath his collar. When Shizu-chan was quiet a moment too long, he drug his eyes back to the blondes. An emotion Izaya didn't quite recognize played in his carmine eyes for a moment before he was tossed harshly to the ground.

"Whatever. Stay the fuck out of Ikebukuro, flea." He opened the door to his own apartment. "And leave that girl the fuck alone."

Izaya didn't have the chance to respond as his door was promptly slammed.

* * *

"Huh? Celty where are you…" Shinra asked as Celty left his side, heading towards a bench that supported an incredibly depressing looking girl. He watched curiously, shifting the weight of his work bag, as Celty typed a message on her PDA and showed it to the girl.

Aww his Celty was so kind and caring, nothing at all like the picture the bringer of death evoked when one thought of such things. But then again, Celty wasn't really the bringer of death at all. Her work as a Dullahan, when she still had her head that is, was exactly the kind of work Shinra could see his beloved doing. He thought there was a simple kindness in accompanying someone on their journey to the afterlife, ensuring that they weren't alone during that transition.

The girl looked up at Celty, heavy tears flowing flowing freely down her cheeks as she read the message. She shook her head and started speaking, though Shinra couldn't hear exactly what was being said. He decided he would head back to their apartment and leave her alone with the girl. As much he loved watching her, Celty would probably get mad at him for intruding on the girl's private moment.

As soon as he unlocked the front door and let himself in, he tossed his bag on the sofa and went to get a drink, bemoaning his missed chance to walk home with Celty. Ah well, he supposed it wasn't that big of a deal. She would be home soon and they could spend the remainder of the afternoon together before she headed off again to do that job for Izaya. He heard the door open.

Well that didn't take long. He thought for sure she would be gone at least another half an hour, talking with that sad girl and trying to cheer her up. Ah well. Not like he's complaining.

"Celty!" he called happily as he rushed back to the hallway. "Er. oh hello," he greeted, stopping short when he saw the same girl from the bench being ushered in by his one and only. She looked up at him, just as much surprise as he felt etched onto her face.

"Celty, you never told me you had a boyfriend," she said, looking at Celty as the Dullahan made her way further into the apartment. Shinra was elated, squirming happily.

"Oh! Celty! Did you hear that? She just called me your boyfriend! I don't know what to say! Of course I've always had fee-ugh- Ouch Celty! That hurts! It hurts!"

[This isn't my boyfriend. He's just my roommate.] He heard Celty type out as she hit him again.

"Oh. I see," was all the girl said before looking away. Celty stopped punching him then and gestured for the girl to come further into the apartment.

"So you two know each other? If I would have known, I would have waited for you both," Shinra said, following them into the living room as though he hadn't just been punched several times by the non-too-gentle Celty.

[This is the girl I was telling you about.] Shinra perked up instantly when he read the words shoved into his face before Celty ran into the other room to grab some tissues for the girl.

"Oh! Your Shizuo's stalker?" he asked excitedly, sitting in the chair and motioning for her to sit on the sofa. She looked as though she was about to get angry for a moment, but then her shoulders dropped dejectedly.

"Yea, I guess," she sighed, dropping into the sofa like she had just spent the day performing hard labor.

"He's pretty interesting isn't he?" Shinra asked, somewhat hoping she would be interested in Shizuo for the same reasons he was. Of course Celty had mentioned that the girl had somewhat of a crush on the blonde, but that didn't mean her reasons for developing that crush couldn't be similar to his own reasons for being fascinated by him.

"Mm I guess," she said, looking around at the apartment.

"His body is like nothing I've ever seen before! If he would just let me dissect him, I could find out exactly how his body differentiates from that of the physiology of the normal human body. I have my theories of course, but I can't really prove them unless I test them out. He's too touchy about it. It's all in the name of science but he just doesn't un-hey why'd you do that?" His tirade was cut short by Celty returning and knocking him on the head lightly.

[Stop talking about Shizuo like he's some sort of science project] She handed the girl the tissues and sat down on the sofa.

"Anyway, I didn't catch your name," Shinra stated, moving on smoothly.

"I'm Emi," she said softly, blowing her nose and trying in vain to wipe some of the dried tears from her face.

"I'm Shinra. It's nice to meet you." She nodded and handed the tissue box back to Celty who set them on the coffee table. "..."

"..."

[...]

The awkward silence seemed to drag on before Shinra couldn't take it anymore.

"So what were you upset about back there?" he blurted out cheerfully. "Ouch! Celty! I was only asking!"

[Don't be rude, Shinra! If she wants to talk about it she will talk about it!]

"But Ceeeeelty," he whined. "It's so awkward sitting here in silence." A soft sniffle from Emi stopped Celty from another round of punches and they both looked over to see her clenching at the fabric on her knees, hot fresh tears trailing the lines left by the old ones.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so insensitive," Shinra started while Celty put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

[If you want to talk about it, we are here to listen]

The girl shook her head and remained silent a moment before she decided to talk.

"I-I just don't understand why he doesn't ever notice me," she cried.

[Who? Shizuo?] She nodded then brought her hands to her face as she began to cry loudly.

Eventually, her sobs quiet down to soft hiccups and Shinra handed the box of tissues back to her. She took them and started wiping her face again.

"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly, running the tissue under her nose.

[Don't be. I just don't understand. I thought you were going to try talking to him]

"Yea. Didn't you say you would find a way to tell him how you feel?"

"I did say that," she agreed with a nod. "I gave him chocolates on Valentines Day, remember?"

"Oh that's right. I remember you telling me about that Celty," Shinra started as Celty began typing on her PDA. "You said she called you off of his phone, right?"

[But you didn't specifically tell him how you felt right? And plus, you used me as an excuse for giving them. And didn't you also give some to Tom? Shizuo isn't that perceptive. He's not going to get it unless you tell him outright. It's not really fair to be upset with him for not noticing your feelings when you really haven't been that open about them]

Emi looked away.

"Yea. I know that. It's not that I'm upset he doesn't know my feelings or anything," she responded. Celty seemed further confused by this.

[Then what is it that's upsetting you?] She sighed and leaned back into the sofa to stare at the ceiling.

"It's just that… he hasn't said hi or anything since then. I know that's stupid but... He just acts like he doesn't see me at all… after all this time…. Shouldn't he at least know my name by now?" Tears started forming at the corners of her eyes and she reached up to swipe them away before they could fall.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither he nor Celty really knowing what to say to help her feel better. It didn't really surprise Shinra that Shizuo might not know who the girl is. Like Celty said, the guy was not very perceptive. If it wasn't right in front of him, it might as well not exist.

"You know…" he started slowly.

[Maybe we should go do something,] Celty interrupted. [You've been focusing too much on this. You should take a break. Do something else!]

"That's actually not a bad idea Celty!" Shinra chimed in, abandoning his train of thought. "Maybe you'll feel better if you can think about something else for awhile."

[Yea! We can all go out together. Wherever you want!]

"Well now, wait a minute Celty," Shinra started, remembering the afternoon he had planned for them in the short time he had waited for Celty to come back. "I was hoping-"

[You are not seriously about to suggest I abandon my friend when she needs me right?] he read as the PDA was shoved into his own face. He sighed and slumped his shoulders, defeated.

"I guess not. What did you have in mind?" He guessed his alone time with Celty would have to wait.

[Where do you want to go?] she asked Emi.

"Hmmm? Ahh well, there's this Sushi restaurant that I like to eat at…"

[Let's go there!]

She seemed to perk up a little as she nodded her head.

* * *

When they entered Russia Sushi, Emi and Celty both seemed to freeze when they saw Shizuo and Tom sitting at the counter eating.

[Do you want to go somewhere else?] Emi collected herself and shook her head, determined.

"Emi, hey," Denis greeted casually. "You bring some friends with you?" She nodded, heading to a table on the opposite side of the restaurant as Shizuo that would accommodate the three of them.

"Hmm? Celty? Hey what are you doing here? Shinra too?" Shizuo asked, looking over at the duo still standing by the door. He then gestured for them to come sit in the stools next to him. Celty waved sheepishly as Tom looked between the four of them as though he really wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

"Well?" Emi said, sitting in her seat with her back turned to all of them.

"Hey Shizuo," Shinra greeted, following Celty as she headed towards the table Emi had chosen. "We're here with a friend so we'll eat together next time."

"Oh yea sure," the blonde shrugged, returning to his food. "Next time then."

He slid in next to Celty who had placed a comforting hand on Emi's arm. The girl's eyes were squeezed shut and she was tapping a finger against the table. He glanced at Shizuo and Tom, who appeared to be just finishing with their meal. Tom was looking over at them curiously as he reached into his wallet and pulled out some bills.

"Thanks for the food, Denis. Tell Simon I said hey when he gets back," Shizuo said, wiping his face with a napkin and standing.

"Yea, sure Shizuo. Thanks for coming in," Denis replied, also looking in their direction.

"Have a good one," Tom nodded, following Shizuo to the door.

Emi stood abruptly from the table, her fists clenched at her sides. She turned around quickly and Shinra thought he saw her intake a sharp breath.

"Sh-Shizuo Heiwajima!" she called, right as he reached the door, shocking very likely everyone in the room. He turned back and glanced at her.

"Huh? Yeah what is it?"

"I-I," she hesitated for just a second before, "I'm in love with you!"

* * *

The air was sucked out of the room as Tom's eyes widened. That was entirely unexpected. The moment seemed to drag on as he looked to gauge Shizuo's reaction. He really couldn't see the blonde's face so he looked back to Emi.

She took a hesitant step towards them.

"I-I mean it! This is real. I'm in love with you. I know you have no idea who I even am and might be thinking that I'm just some delusional, lovesick puppy, but.."

She drew her arms to her chest as if she were shielding herself. "But I'm not! I really love you Heiwajima-san. I love everything about you. You can say that's impossible and it makes sense why you would believe that since you have no idea who I am, but - I know this might make you angry, and believe me that's the last thing I would ever want. But I have to tell you now. I have to lay everything out, so that you know I never manipulated anything. Or at least I never tried to..."

She seemed to be drawing on the last bit of courage she had left inside her. "I've been stalking you Heiwajima-san. I know it's wrong. I knew it from the very beginning. And at first, I just wanted to thank you for saving me. But then, that night in the park, I saw who you really are, and… I just wanted to be able to see you. I wanted to do what I could to support you, even if you never even knew my name. I'm sorry."

She looked down and if Tom had been a bit closer, he thought he might have been able to see tears pricking the corners. "I know that sort of shady, underhanded tactic really upsets you. But, if you could just look past this one thing, I promise I will make it up to you. I really mean every word I've said. I'm so in love with you, my heart -"

She was cut off when Shizuo held up a hand to silence her. All eyes turned to him with baited breath.

"Thanks, but I'm not really interested," he said gruffly, as he turned and left the restaurant.


	8. May 2008 - Emi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! For the next several chapters, everything is going to be from Emi's POV. It just sort of goes into details about how she met Shizuo and her side of the story. I'm thinking maybe 7ish chapters maybe. I'll label them with Emi so if you don't really want to read her parts, you can skip it, although I do think these chapters add a lot more dimension to her character. I promise there WILL be some Shizaya love, I just really want this story to seem like it could possibly be happening in tandem with the anime so they have to hate each other right now. Let me know what you guys think!

**May 2008 - Emi**

Emi began picking herself off the dirt, avoiding putting any weight on her right arm, as Jin's laughter disappeared into the apartment. She staggered to a nearby bench to sit down. The metallic tang of blood permeated her senses and she began frantically wiping at the stream that had been trailing down her face. She spat what had been pooling in her mouth and glared at the offending fluid as it seeped into the earth. Sobs spilled out of her before she could stop them and she didn't have the strength to shove them back down.

When she finally managed to drag herself back into the apartment, the familiar odor mixing with the scent of her blood was enough to make her vomit. She tried to aim for the overflowing trash bin next to the door but didn't quite make it. She really couldn't bring herself to care. Jin would find anything to be angry about. Might as well give him an actual reason.

This had been her motto for the past three months and she found herself not at all surprised to discover that his beatings had not increased in severity or frequency. She stopped cleaning the place. Stopped buying food. Stopped cooking with the little food that he bought. She just stopped. The insults remained the same. The beatings remained the same. The only things that seemed to have changed was now she had more free time.

The light in the bathroom hummed when she turned it on, mingling with the sounds of the TV in the living room. She carefully stripped herself, avoiding using her right arm, and began to assess the damage in the full length mirror. There were the usual bruises along her ribcage, some of them yellowing from healing, others fresh. The source of the bleeding was a long gash over her left eyebrow, that eye was already turning an angry purple, and her lip was swollen and bleeding. But at least all her teeth were still there. Jin usually didn't hit her in the mouth. He said he didn't want to permanently ruin her perfect smile. As if she did much smiling in his presence these days.

All in all, the wounds were not as severe as they felt. All except…. She winced as she allowed her gaze to fall to her right shoulder. It was definitely dislocated. Hot tears began to flow again as she began to weigh her options. She could go to the hospital.

But….

if Jin found out…

That was NOT an option. There was that first aide class she had taken last semester. There was something about dislocated shoulders in that right? Determined and decided, she wrapped herself in her robe, leaving her right arm out of the sleeve, and made her way to her room. She quietly closed the door behind her so she wouldn't disturb Jin who had fallen asleep on the sofa in front of the TV.

She made her way over to the shelf that had her textbooks from school and easily found the one from first aid, grabbing it awkwardly with her left hand. When she got it to her desk, she opened the book to the table of contents, finding what she was looking for easily. There were several ways to put a shoulder back into the socket but they all required two people. Her eyes furrowed in frustration. Maybe she could improvise the Stimson technique. Her mind made, she cleared everything off her desk and measured out some ribbon. Then she tied it to several textbooks and tied the other end to her arm. As she was beginning to climb on the desk, a loud knock resonated throughout the apartment.

Her stomach dropped. Jin's snoring continued uninterrupted and she allowed a moment of relief to settle over her before the banging started again. She grabbed a pair of scissors and quickly sliced through the ribbon then rushed out the door as quickly and quietly as she could, holding her injured arm close to her chest. When she made it to the front door she opened it quickly and fixed the harshest glare she could muster at the two men standing before her.

"What is it?" she seethed through her teeth, throwing as much venom as she could into her words while still remaining quiet. The shorter man seemed to shrink back momentarily.

"Um…. heeey. We're looking for Jin Sato. Is he uh home?" the man asked awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with her. Emi quickly glanced back into the living room, panic once again seeping into her bones. She looked backed at the short man who had spoken to her.

"He's not. Come back later." She tried to close the door but the tall guy in the bartender's uniform - 'wait why the heck is he wearing a bartender's uniform?' grabbed the door and yanked it back open. The tendrils of anger began to crawl into her at the man's boldness.

"What do you thi-"

"Hey what the hell is wrong with your face?" bartender asked, bending to her level to peer at her swollen eye.

"Woah, Shizuo man, I don't-" A loud snore from Jin cut off the short man. "Is that Sato-san?" he asked.

"What of course not, I told you he's not - Hey you can't just - put me down!" Shizuo set her down in the kitchen out of the way as he made his way over to the sofa.

"Hey what do you think you're doing!" Emi whispered harshly as she marched after him. Fiery rage now fully replaced the icy terror that had settled in her when she first heard the knocking. Who did this guy think he was?!

However, she stopped dead in her tracks as she watched this Shizuo pick up the sofa Jin was sleeping on. Her eyes widened in shock as time slowed and Jin woke abruptly, stumbling to sit, as the sofa was lifted over Shizuo's head and then thrown through the far wall. Through the wall! Through it! Right out to the small yard on the other side. Her jaw dropped and hung there stupidly as the shorter man calmly came up behind her.

"Hey Shizuo, this one usually pays without much fuss. You didn't need to use so much force."

Shizuo straightened himself and disappeared through the hole he made in the wall. She could hear him saying something to Jin but she couldn't make out what was being said. She turned to look at the man next to her in disbelief. She was even more shocked to find the man next to her looking exasperatedly back at her. He offered her a small smile and started rubbing the back of his neck.

"Our company will pay your landlord for any damages so you really don't have to worry about paying for any of this." He reached into his pocket and handed her a business card. "Here. Just call this number and tell them Tom told you to call and they'll take care of everything." she nodded her head stupidly and took the card. Her attention was drawn back to the hole as she heard a loud shout coming from outside. A few seconds later, Shizuo reappeared in the living room. He strode across the apartment to the front door.

"I'll wait outside while you finish up Tom." Then he left without even looking at Emi. She turned back to Tom, her jaw still hanging open in shock. "Well, like I said, just call that number and they'll take care of everything" he said somewhat awkwardly as he turned to leave also. "Have a good day!"

She stared at the closed door, in utter disbelief until Jin's cursing drew her attention once again to the hole. Trepidation flooded in once again and she quickly stuffed the card into her robe pocket while making her way to her bedroom. She locked the door and pushed the desk in front of it with her hip and good arm, then shoved herself in her closet behind some boxes, ignoring the pain that shot through her shoulder when she bumped it against the wall.

A few minutes went by with nothing but silence. Then she thought she heard something sliding across the floor followed by some heavy footsteps and the front door slamming. She stayed in the closet, too scared to come out for fear of a trap laid out by Jin, punishment for what had just occurred. It felt like hours had passed by and she was just thinking about coming out of her hiding spot when loud banging started on the front door.

"Hello? It's the police!" Someone shouted. "Is anybody home? We received a call about somebody being hurt."

Why were the police here?! Of course! One of the neighbors must have called them. She had been so stupid to cry like that out in the open and looking the way she did. Jin is going to be furious when he comes back and the police are here. Oh no-oh no-oh no! If they saw her in her like this they would know something had happened. What could she possibly tell them?

She fell down the steps at school. No that wouldn't work. There were cameras at the school and they could easily find out that wasn't true. She was in a fight. That was a little closer to the truth and would be more difficult to prove wasn't altogether accurate. No, that wouldn't work either. How is she going to explain the giant hole in her wall and the sofa in the backyard?

"We are coming in!" she heard the policeman say from the front door.

Oh no-oh no-oh no! What was she going to do? Maybe she should just stay where she is. They might not find her in here. She escaped Jin in this spot many times.

She heard footsteps in the kitchen and muffled voices but she couldn't quite make out what was being said.

Staying hidden was her best chance. Jin wouldn't come back if he saw the police car outside so there was no chance that he would speak to them. If they just left, Jin would beat her and it would be over. But if they took him to be questioned…. Emi shuddered. No. She would just stay hidden until they left. The door to her room jiggled.

"Hey is someone in there?" The policeman called. Then softer, "Hey I think someones in here, grab the ram." A few seconds later Emi heard loud banging as her bedroom door was broken down and a curse as the policeman tried to maneuver around both the broken door and desk. Then as the men made it into her room, "Hello? You're safe now. Come on out so we can help you."

They stayed quiet to give her the opportunity to respond then a different voice said, "We know you are in here somewhere. The door was barricaded and that window is too small to climb out of." Emi remained silent. One of the men sighed. "Guess we start looking." She could hear shuffling as the men moved around her room. Then the closet door was open. Emi held her breath. The boxes were moved and Emi was face to face with the gentle face of a man who looked to be his early 50s.

"Well," he started gently, "There you are." Emi started sobbing. "There, there now. You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you anymore."

* * *

In the end, the police escorted Emi outside where an ambulance sat waiting and a small crowd had formed. She was taken to the hospital and given pain medicine so the doctor could relocate her shoulder and clean up her face. Jin had apparently taken off after what had happened. Since she had still been 17 and Jin was still her legal guardian, the police had to search for him.

She refused to tell them anything about what really happened. Just that he apparently owed some people money and that they came by to collect. She told them Jin refused to pay and a fight broke out. When they asked if the debt collector was the one to beat her up, she felt a ping of guilt when she replied that he had, but she assuaged that guilt when she gave them completely wrong descriptions about the culprits.

When officer Shouta Fugi confronted her with the truth that Jin was the one who had actually beaten her, Emi couldn't stop herself from sobbing all over again. The man was smart, looking at all the old police reports made and putting the pieces together. She pleaded with him to not report it. That if Jin ever came back, he would be so furious with her and nowhere would be safe for her. Officer Fuji, who she later found out was the same officer who had helped her crawl out of her closet, assured her that he would do everything in his power to ensure no harm came to her at the hands of Jin Sato.

A full investigation was launched into Jin Sato and Emi. Turns out that Emi's father had been very well off before he had passed away, leaving everything to Emi's mother. Jin, seeing an opportunity, swooped in, hoping to seize some of that fortune for himself. Unfortunately for Jin, Emi's mother passed away shortly after the marriage, leaving Jin penniless and a child to care for. Jin had taken out a loan from loan sharks to hire lawyers in order to come up with some kind of loop hole where he would inherit the money. It didn't work out and he ended up owing a lot of money to dangerous people. That's how Shizuo ended up in the apartment that day.

Since she had been close to being 18, and she now had access to more than enough money to survive on her own, the police had released her from custody with the promise they would find and arrest Jin. If it hadn't been for Officer Fuji, Emi thought she might have died from all the anxiety being without protection would have brought her. He took her to her old apartment, along with a couple of other officers from his precinct. They all stood outside with watchful eyes as she stood at the front door, key in clammy hands, heart beating in her ears, and trepidation coursing through her veins. Fuji put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

When she finally worked up the courage to walk in, the familiar smell hit her and she gagged. The hole had been fixed and some supplies still littered the ground around the area. The sofa was missing and she wondered if it was still sitting in the back yard or if the landlord had it taken away.

She never did call that number. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out the crumpled card with the number to Shizuo's company. The apartment was in Jin's name, not hers. He would be the one who would be responsible for paying back the damages. She allowed a small smile, imagining how much it would cost him to pay for that fix.

She headed straight for her room, the only place she had had any sort of peace, fragile as it may have been, during her stay in this place. When she quietly shut the door behind, still fearful of the same ghosts, she sunk to the floor and started crying.

It all just felt so surreal. Was she really leaving this place, with all it's terrible memories, behind? Could she really move forward now? Would she be able to forget about Jin so easily? She wasn't so sure she could.


	9. July 2009 - Emi

**July 2009 - Emi**

Emi used the box cutter to slice the tape on the last box. Inside she found some old photo books with pictures of her and her mom from before…. She grabbed them out one by one, placing them neatly in their new home, a shelf she had kept her anime collection in in her last apartment, the collection moving to it's new home on her new entertainment center.

It had really been time for a change. After graduation in March, Emi had begun to feel out of place in the apartment she had lived in for the past year. Sure it had been close to her school and the rent was decent, but there was a crushing presence in the place. She had had too many sleepless nights, tossing and turning, waking up with a crushing weight in her chest. Too many nights she had to shower in the too small tub to clean the sweat off of her body. Too many nights she had cried, huddled up in the closet, fearing the boogey man and yet still knowing that the boogey man couldn't find her there, Officer Fuji had assured her of that.

The nights when she couldn't sleep at all, she immersed herself into a world of make believe she had discovered even before her mother remarried. She had always found anime and manga comforting, even some of the scarier ones. Something about watching the lives of make believe characters played out in an environment that was so far separated from her own brought her a sense of peace that was not afforded to her in the years since her mother's death.

From that, she found joy in writing as well. She enjoyed coming up with characters and putting them in perilous situations they had no hope of escaping. She would contemplate leaving them there, desperate for escape from whatever danger she had presented them with. But inevitably she would cave and provide them some new hero or one of them would awaken a new power. She thought she liked those scenarios the best.

She finished emptying the box and broke it down, setting it in the entryway for the moving people to collect. Then she plopped herself down on her new sofa and appraised her new living space. This place was bigger and newer than the last one. The windows let in a lot more natural lighting as well, making the place feel less like a dungeon than the other one had been.

The sound of her stomach growling prompted her to stretch and head towards the fridge. Opening it, she scowled and shut it again quickly. She sighed and resigned herself to the unwanted but necessary trip to the store.

Emi was NOT a cook. Those years after her mom had passed away and she had been forced to take over in the role of housewife were more than enough experiences in the kitchen for her. When she had finally been freed from…. that man's prison, the first meal she vowed to herself her hands would never again touch a stove, or a knife, or any other kitchen item that involved more than pressing a button or putting the food into her mouth.

She chose her items at the convenience store quickly but took some time speaking with the cashier. They were going to become great friends in the near future as often as Emi planned to come in there. Then she paid and headed home.

As she was climbing the steps to her apartment, she saw the door to her neighbor's apartment opening. Oh! This would be perfect! She hadn't gotten a chance to introduce herself to the person in this apartment! The other neighbors said it was a quiet man who was rarely ever home.

She quickened her steps, excited to finally get the chance to meet him and reached his door right as he was stepping out.

"Oh!" she blurted, shocked. "Shizuo!"

Shizuo looked down at her, surprised.

"Oh, you're that girl that moved into the apartment next to mine right?" he responded. Emi was a little taken aback by this. He didn't seem to know who she was. She was a little disappointed by this. For the past year, she had thought about Shizuo often, angry at first that he had changed things so irrevocably for her. Then, as time went on, she began to feel an unyielding sense of gratitude to the man. If it wasn't for this man, she would still be living with…. She had to thank him somehow.

"Ummm…. Riiiiight. I'm Emi." She responded, bowing respectfully.

"Hey, don't bother with all that polite crap. I'm not gonna do all that so don't expect it," he grouched. Emi could feel her cheeks turning red as her temper flared. Not only does he not remember her, but he has the audacity to complain about her manners.

"Right," she responded curtly and shoved past him to reach her apartment door, evidently forgetting all about her gratitude.

As she began to unlock the door, she felt a presence behind her. She turned and saw Shizuo glaring down at her, a wicked grin on his face.

"Hey! Just because I'm not about politeness, doesn't mean you can just shove into me like that!."

Emi fumed. She hooked her ankle around the small footstool she had set next to her door and swung it in front of him so she could get in his face.

"Who… what… okay. So enlighten me Mr. Manners, how EXACTLY should I address you? Hmm? Please be exact in your description so I am 100% clear on how not to upset you."

Shizuo's grin grew wider as he hooked his own foot around the stool and snatched it out from under her, watching her fall to her bottom, groceries scattering across the walkway. He then threw the footstool up with his foot, caught it, and threw it into the yard. As he was walking away, he lazily waved goodbye to her.

Emi stayed there for a moment, dumbfounded by how that played out. Well that could have certainly gone better. She picked herself up in huff, gathered her damaged items, and went inside her apartment, slamming the door shut behind her.

She stalked through the entryway and went into the kitchen to put away the food, leaving out a sandwich and carton of strawberry milk. As she leaned against the counter to enjoy her food, she thought about that jerk.

Who did that guy think he was? First he's scolding her for being too formal, then he's Mr. Manners. Who talks to somebody like that? She was only trying to introduce herself and thank him. She didn't even get to thank him! What a jerk! Didn't he know she was trying to show her appreciation?! She ripped open the carton, spilling a little bit of the pink liquid, and downed the drink. Wiping her mouth with her arm, she stomped to her bed and threw herself on it

But…. Then again…. Maybe she was being too harsh. He had done something great for her. She should thank him. It was the polite thing to do. She groaned and rolled over to stare at the ceiling

Just the thought of walking up to that dolt made her skin crawl, and she started clenching her fists. But.. maybe she didn't have to. Maybe she could find another way of thanking him that didn't involve her speaking to him. After all, he clearly had absolutely no idea who she was. So that stands to reason that he doesn't remember that he even did her a favor by beating Jin. And him being her apparent neighbor left her plenty of opportunity to find another way of thanking him without him ever knowing.

She was being too harsh. It's not his fault he didn't remember. She remembered looking in the mirror in the hospital after that night. Even with the blood gone and her stitches, she wouldn't have recognized herself either. She shouldn't have gotten so upset that he didn't either. And now that she had a moment to calm down, she would have thought it rude if someone had pushed past her the way she did. Still, she could tell she would never get along with this guy. He was way too much of a loose cannon for her. She would try to find another way of thanking him with his knowledge.

"UGH!" she growled as she threw a pillow across the room. She hated feeling so indebted but also hating the person she was indebted to. Getting up, she went over to her coffee table and opened her laptop. She opened up a document and stared at it for exactly 15 seconds before slamming the lid closed. Clearly she wasn't going to be able to focus on anything until this matter with that poo-brain was resolved.

She grabbed her messenger bag and slipped on her shoes before locking the door and heading out to look for Shizuo. She would put an end to this once and for all.


	10. August 2009 - Emi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So the first part of this chapter is just Emi's POV of the first time she went into Russia Sushi. Literally the only new information is her own thoughts. I've marked the end of that section with three horizontal lines so if you don't like re-reading in different POVs it's easy to find where that part ends. BUT this is also the chapter we find out how Emi knows Celty, if anyone was curious about that!
> 
> As always, send me any thoughts you may have on it!

**August 2009 - Emi**

Emi was starting to get frustrated. She had been following Shizuo everyday for the past two weeks and had yet to find a single way to thank him. He went to work, beat some guys up, ate with the Tom guy, and then walked around Ikebukuro. His job hours were all over the place! Sometimes he left early in the morning and wouldn't finish until well in the night. She was exhausted trying to keep up with the guy. There wasn't a single aspect of his life that she felt she had the capability to improve for him.

She was standing outside this restaurant, Russia Sushi, watching Shizuo enter. Maybe she was staying too far away from him. She wasn't getting an accurate depiction of his day. With that thought, she waited a couple of minutes and then followed them in.

"Welcome to Russia Sushi!" a tall man greeted in a thick accent, startling her. "It's first time here, yes? We welcome all new customers! Please come sit!" The man put his hand on her shoulder and guided her to a spot at the bar before she had the chance to look at her surroundings. Once she was settled, a menu was placed directly in front of her face. Emi felt the familiar tendrils of anger flare in her stomach but pushed them down.

"You eat! It's good Sushi! Half price for new customer! Pick anything you want!" he said as he went behind the counter. Emi skimmed the menu, quickly picking out two items, and told the old man behind the bar when he asked. Then she looked around the room. Her eyes widened when she saw Shizuo sitting one chair away at the bar. She could reach out and touch him if she wanted to.

She quickly averted her eyes to face the front again. Oh no! She should have been paying more attention! The man with the accent set down a glass of water in front of her and she quickly downed it, needing something to occupy herself with.

"Ahhhh, very thirsty! More water for our customer." The man grabbed the glass to fill it up again for her.

So far, Shizuo hadn't seemed to notice her. She allowed herself to peak over at him. He was sitting in a bar stool next to his friend… boss? Emi hadn't quite figured out their relationship. He leaned on an elbow and was chatting easily with the chef.

This was almost perfect. She was able to observe him closely and maybe he would say something that would help her.

"Hey, looks like you have a fan," someone said in the background.

"Huh," Shizuo asked, turning in his seat and making eye contact with her. Emi froze. What should she say? How does she explain why she was just staring at him?

"Uh, hey do I know you?" he asked. The room spun. He seriously didn't remember her?! He had broken her favorite footstool only two weeks ago! How could he possibly not remember her?! She calmed her nerves. Maybe that was for the best. She took a deep breath.

"Ummm no! sorry! The side of your head looked really familiar so I was trying to see your full face. Sorry about that!" she managed to get out before turning to face forward again.

"Oh hey, no big deal. Although I've never really been mistaken for anybody before," Shizuo mused as he returned to his friend.

She vaguely registered another glass of water being set in front of her and grabbing it. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! How could she have been so stupid?! She definitely shouldn't have stared at him so openly like that. And she certainly should have realized that someone would have noticed. She hadn't even looked at Tom once! Of course he would have noticed her staring!

She glanced up when she heard a soft cough. The chef was looking at her peculiarly, holding her ordered food in his hands. She quickly moved her arms off the counter so he could set it down. The way his eyes lingered on her for just a fraction too long made her mildly uncomfortable. He walked away and she absent mindedly picked up a piece of the weird looking sushi. When she took a bite her mind went blank.

O

O

O

"Mmmmmm." She felt her eyes go wide as she looked at the remaining piece of sushi in her fingers, imagining the love affair they could have if only it was a person.

"Good?" she heard someone say. She had to pry her eyes away from her new found passion to look at the person who had spoken.

"Ish sho good!" she told Shizuo, not willing to swallow yet and lose the moment of that first taste. She finally swallowed, a little melancholic and turned to the chef, whose eyes had softened. "What even is this?" she asked him, wanting to kiss him for bringing such a wonderful flavor into her life.

"It's a special recipe I came up with. I'm glad you like it," he said with a smile. Emi nodded and took the rest of the small piece into her mouth, chewing slowly to enjoy the flavors as they permeated her senses.

"Here," someone said, and Emi felt anger flare up in her stomach for having been interrupted again. That is until she realized that someone was holding out a morsel of food to her on a sauce dish. "Try some of this. It's my favorite dish." She looked at Shizuo, an odd feeling replacing the anger in her gut. She grabbed the peace offering the man had no idea he was giving and popped it in her mouth.

"Mmmmmm," she said again, though not as emphatically as she had with that first bite.

"Good, right?"

"Yea." The ghost of a smile remained on her lips. "It's delicious. I can see why it's your favorite. Thank you for sharing with me." The fact the Shizuo just shrugged might've normally sent her temper flying, but she was too focused on the weird fluttering sensation in her stomach.

The sudden hand on her shoulder made her jump again. The tall man. Was this guy always so touchy-feely?

"It's good, yes?" the man asked her. "Russia Sushi have good food, always fresh! You come again soon, yes?" She nodded adamantly.

"Yes! I can't believe I've never been in here before. The food is amazing!" Simon's smile grew into a grin.

"You are from Ikebukuro, yes?" She shook her head.

"No, I moved to Ikebukuro about 5 years ago with my step-father."

"5 years huh? And you're only just now hearing about us?" Emi found herself wondering if these two always interrogated their customers. She didn't mind talking with them but she worried about Shizuo finding out more about her than she really wanted him to. She glanced over to where he sat and baulked when she realized that he was no longer sitting there.

"Oh, I guess I just never got out much. My step-father needed me at home and we ate mostly home cooked food." Food she had to cook, she thought bitterly as she glanced around the restaurant, not finding the tall blonde.

"You come eat at Russia Sushi a lot now, ok? Russia Sushi good and good for you! And it's cheap too!" She resigned herself to the fact that he had gotten away and decided she would enjoy the conversation with these two men. After all, her interactions with actual people were not numerous. She nodded emphatically , intending to tell the tall man she had every intention of returning here every single day if she could, but was interrupted by the chef.

"What made you finally decide to come in now?" She laughed nervously. She couldn't tell them the real reason she had come in. The chef at the very least seemed to be friends with Shizuo.

"Huh, oh well, uh I was just hungry and uh saw this place and thought 'Hey what an interesting name. I bet they have interesting food." She shifted and then began eating once more, trying to dodge anymore uncomfortable questions.

"Oh? But what about your step-dad? He doesn't like to eat out?" Her expression darkened. That was kind of a personal question, she thought. But then, it really wasn't. She supposed it probably just felt that way to her, given her past with…. That man

"I don't live with him anymore. I've been on my own since I turned 18," she responded quietly, pushing the now empty plate away from her.

"Oh yea? Finally spreading those wings huh? We've all gotta do that at some point."

"I suppose. In a manner of speaking." She grabbed her wallet, anxious to leave now that the conversation had broached something she was very uncomfortable discussing. The stupid chef walked over to the sink and Emi waited impatiently.

"So you're 18 then?" She shook her head.

"No, I'm 19 now."

"19? You start college this year?"

"Ooh college good, yes! Lots of hungry customers!" Simon said

"Ah no. I decided not to go to college just yet. I have a doujinshi novel that I've been working on that's gotten pretty popular. I'm not even sure what sort of classes I would take or what I would want to be." She shook her wallet to show the man she was ready to pay now.

"You're a writer? That seems like complicated work," the man said, finally drying his hands.

"About as complicated as being a sushi chef, I suppose," she laughed.

She counted out the money and handed it over to him then stood to leave, bowing.

"Thank you very much for the meal," she said, turning to leave.

"You come back soon. We have good food for good prices," the tall man said to her retreating back.

"Bye now," Dennis added.

Once she was finally free in the street, she took off at a fast pace towards her apartment. She did NOT feel like getting caught by Shizuo and Tom again and just wanted to go home and have a nice hot bath.

When she finally sunk down into the scalding water, she allowed a soft sigh to escape her lips. The water worked its way into her aching muscles, relaxing her. The past two weeks had been miserable. She could NOT believe how much walking she had had to do. Seriously! Those guys did that everyday?! He hadn't had a day off either!

She lowered herself deeper into the water so that her lips were submerged and started blowing bubbles. She needed to be more careful too. Especially now that Tom knew she was following him.

"Ugh!" she grunted, causing a volley of bubbles to emerge from the water, then she dunked her head underneath. Tomorrow, she would get serious.

* * *

* * *

* * *

She had been extra careful since she had been caught, making sure to stay out of sight and never getting very close. It must have been working because Tom never said anything else to her or to Shizuo to her knowledge. Another week and a half had passed and still nothing! Emi was SOOOO _tired!_ She just wanted to lay on her sofa and listen to music and write on her laptop and watch TV and eat Russia Sushi ALL THE TIME. Her lips pulled into a pout as she thought about her new favorite restaurant. It wasn't fair that Shizuo was making it so hard on her to thank him!

Shizuo FINALLY had the day off today- seriously three and a half weeks of that grueling schedule with out a break?- but he still left his apartment early in the morning! Seriously! Did this guy never just veg out in front of the TV?! At least today, he didn't move around as much. He was visiting with a friend right now at a park. Both of them sat on a bench. The person was weird. Emi couldn't tell if they were a boy or a girl partially because they were so skinny and partially because they kept their helmet on…. EVEN THOUGH THEY WEREN'T ON A BIKE!

She took a deep breath to quell her anger. It's fine. Whatever. Who cares if they wanted to leave their helmet on. It did not matter to Emi one little bit what that person decided to do with their time.

Shizuo kept looking at a PDA that she kept holding out for him, making Emi wonder if perhaps they had had their tongue ripped out or something. She suddenly felt a little guilty about being angry about the helmet. Maybe they wore it because they were embarrassed about some horrible disfigurement

Suddenly her chest constricted. Unbidden memories were rushing her, terrible intrusions on her psyche. _Him_ holding her down, the knife she had just been using to chop vegetables for her dinner held against her cheek. His hot breath, reeking of alcohol, hitting her in the face. Her breath started coming in shaky gasps and tears began to prick her eyes.

Oh no-oh no-oh no! Not here! Not right now!

She sat down behind the bushes she was hiding behind, trying to calm her racing heart. She put her head between her knees and started taking deep breaths.

In: 1-2-3-4-5. Hold: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. Out: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. Repeat.

Think about something else! _Anything_ else.

Slowly, her heart stopped racing and she wiped the trace of tears in her eyes. A few more moments and she was able to catch her breath. She tentatively peeked over the bush to see Shizuo still sitting on the bench, alone, a cigarette propped in his mouth. He finished his cigarette and stood, straightening his clothing before heading out of the park. Emi stood to follow and came face to face with a reflection of herself.

Startled, she took several steps back and realized it was Shizuo's friend. She stammered, trying to think up some excuse as to why she would be watching him while the person started typing on their PDA.

[who are you]she read when the PDA was shoved in her face. Then, [why are you following Shizuo?]Emi looked toward where Shizuo's back was getting further and further away.

"Ummmm… heeeeey," she started, rubbing the back of her head and inching away. "Listen.. Could we uh maaaaybe do this another time?" Emi had had just about enough of this following nonsense and she was about to lose Shizuo…. On his only day off! She could NOT let that happen.

[What? What are you up to?!..] Emi didn't wait around to read the next thing she typed out as ran towards the corner she just saw Shizuo turn.

A thought suddenly occurred to her; Shizuo would most certainly find out about her now. No matter what she did at this point, this person would definitely tell him that she was following him. She had been caught red-handed hiding behind a bush. But maybe if she could explain the situation, this person might be reasonable enough to not say anything at all. Maybe they would even help her! She stopped short and immediately felt someone crash into her back, sending them both crashing to the ground.

Shizuo's friend was definitely a girl. Emi could tell when she accidentally pushed on her breasts in an attempt to get her off of her. Said girl jumped up agilely and offered Emi a hand. Emi took it gratefully. Standing fully and looking at the girl.

She froze.

"OH MY GOODNESS YOUR HEAD!" She frantically started looking around for the helmet. "How did that even happen?! You didn't crash into me _that_ hard!"

She saw the helmet and was racing towards it when a sudden realization hit her; how was she still standing if her head had been knocked off? She grabbed the helmet, hesitating before she looked inside.

There was no head! That girl didn't have a head?!

She slowly turned back, ice settling in her stomach. Sure enough, there was black smoke twirling out of the part of her neck where her head should have been, twisting in delicate swirling patterns. Her shoulders were trembling. Was she laughing?

"Ummm..." she started, hesitantly handing the helmet back to the girl. "Sorry for asking this, but ahhh... oh jeez, I hope it's not rude to ask." The girl reached out and to the helmet, placing it back on her head before pulling out her PDA. "Umm you don't have a head."

[Sorry you had to see that. I didn't mean to scare you.]

"Oh! No-I'm-not-scared-or-anything!" she said quickly, holding both hands in front of her and laughing nervously.

[Somebody stole my head about 20 years ago.]

"What?! Who would even do that?!" she cried out, shocked someone had the gall to steal a person's head, evidently moving on from the initial shock of seeing someone alive and well without one. The girl's shoulders started shaking again, though this time, Emi thought it was more from anger.

[I don't know! But I know it's somewhere in this city. I followed its presence here and I've been looking for it ever since.] Emi nodded, vaguely aware that she should probably be freaking out about this a little more.

"Have you gotten any leads on it?" The helmet shook no.

[I haven't. I just know that it's somewhere here. I can feel it.]

"Well whoever did that, rest assured, has some bad karma coming their way," Emi started, feeling angry for the girl. "I mean what kind of a person just _steals_ someone else's head?"

[That's what I always thought!]

"I mean did they do? Just walk up and think 'You know what? That looks like a nice head. I think I'll take it for myself!' That person has some serious metal issues! I've never even heard of such a thing! Not even in anime!" Her shoulders trembled in amusement again.

[Thanks for that. It's nice to have someone else understand my feelings.] Emi nodded. [But, moving on, why were you watching Shizuo like that? Did he do something to you?] She tensed. [You're not trying to hurt him right?] Emi shook her head.

"No it's nothing like that," Emi laughed nervously. Shizuo really helped me out a while back, saving me from a really bad situation. I ended up moving it the apartment next to his-I know that sounds creepy but I swear, it was coincidence," she defended when the girl started typing on her PDA. That seemed to appease her somewhat and she continued. "So anyway, I ran into him outside our apartments and he had no idea who I was! Then he got angry at me for _no_ good reason," even though it probably was a good _enough_ reason, but she didn't need to tell this girl that. "And I didn't get the chance to say thank you. But after that, just the _thought_ of talking to him again makes my skin crawl." She looked down, hesitating a moment before speaking again, softer this time. "But still, I have to find _some_ way to thank him. He did help me a lot. So… do you think you could not tell him about this? I just need to be able to tell him thank you so I can move on from this. _"_

She waited as the girl typed something into her PDF.

[Sure! I won't say anything to Shizuo!] Relief washed over her as she thanked God for her luck. The sound of more clicking pulled her out of her prayer. [He really likes sweet things! Maybe you could get him a gift card to a fancy pastry shop!] She pulled it away just has she had finished reading and excitedly started typing again. That's a fantastic idea! Emi could barely contain her excitement at finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. [Ooooooh! He LOVES that one in down by that place with all the exotic pets!]

Emi couldn't help herself. The girl stumbled a step back as Emi leaped in her arms, laughing.

"Thank you so much! You have NO idea how happy I am that I can be done with this once and for all!" Somehow, Emi could tell the girl was blushing and pulled back a few steps.

[It's no problem. I'm just glad you aren't trying to hurt Shizuo or anything scary like that.] Emi nodded in understanding and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Nothing like that. Besides, can Shizuo even be killed?" The girl's shoulders started shaking in a silent laugh.

[Probably not by any mortal means.] Emi laughed then too.

"Oh, I'm Emi, by the way." She bowed politely.

[Celty.]

* * *

Emi practically skipped on her way home from the cake shop, 10,000 yen gift card tucked safely in an envelope. She had just purchased a thank you card with a cute cartoon puppy. She wrote on the card simply, " _Thank you for saving me that time."_ figuring it would just anger him getting a generic card without any explanation. She climbed the steps in record speed and stopped at his door, sliding the envelope underneath the door. She instantly felt lighter.

Deciding to celebrate, she headed into her apartment to get a shower and grab her laptop. It was a little after dinner time and she thought she might go to Russia Sushi to get something to eat and work on her doujinshi; she hadn't had much time for it the past several weeks.

As she started down the street, she noticed Shizuo standing a few feet ahead of her, petting a cat on the stone wall surrounding the building, with a banana milk in his hand. Not her problem anymore.

Although, she had to admit, the way the setting sun hit his features made him seem very attractive. And he got bonus points for the way he scratched the cat just right behind its ears.

She watched him a few moments and then started on her way again. Her eyes widened as they locked onto the scene she was passing while her body kept moving forward, time slowing as Shizuo poured some of his milk onto the surface of the wall for the cat to drink. She snapped her head forward again, fuming.

That idiot! Didn't he know how bad even regular milk could be for cats?! Let alone BANANA MILK?! What was he thinking?! Well the answer was quite clear to her! He clearly wasn't thinking! That poor kitty! He would probably be so sick later, all thanks to that oaf! This wouldn't sit.

Changing course, Emi headed for the nearest grocery store.

* * *

It took her three days to get everything together, but she was finally finished. Emi looked proudly over all the brochures tied to hand made cat food samples. After about 20, Emi had given up making them all look pretty. She figured as long as the ones in Shizuo's general vicinity looked legit, he wouldn't notice.

She had set her alarm clock for 2 am this morning, determined to hand these out today and be finished. Her messenger bag was already full and she was just finishing up filling her back pack. She figured it would take her four or five trips to be able to pass them all out.

By the time she finished, it was already 8. Shizuo should be waking up soon and heading out soon. She stood outside the apartment building to wait for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: Cats cannot drink milk. It makes them really sick


	11. October 2009 - Emi

**October 2009 - Emi**

The past couple months passed by in bliss for Emi. After ensuring that Shizuo had gotten the message 'Don't share your banana milk with cats' she felt free to to forget all about Shizuo Heiwajima and spend her days at Russia Sushi, talking with Denis and Simon about various topics or working on her doujinshi. The two had become like friends to her, even though their relationship didn't extend very far past buying meals from them and taking up space in their establishment. Still, she felt as though if she were even in any sort of danger, she could come to them for help.

Halloween had arrived quickly and there was supposed to be a party at one of the parks. She wasn't much of a party girl, but she thought it might be fun to dress up in cosplay and go out to try to make some friends her own age. She had decided to go as Misa Amane from a popular anime. Looking in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself under the heavy makeup, blue contacts, skimpy outfit and blonde wig.

The crisp, autumn air hit her as soon as she stepped outside and she instantly regretted her choice in cosplay. She reached back into the entryway of her apartment to grab a jacket and continued on her way. She had barely turned the corner and her feet started hurting. She hadn't thought about the shoes being painful. Maybe she should just turn around and go home. Her steps faltered slightly as she rounded another corner. She really didn't like being in crowds anyway, honestly and really, she didn't mind being alone all the time.

No. She strengthened her resolve and pushed forward.

She could remember what it was like, those first few days after she had realized _he_ was really gone. Excitement had flooded her veins at all the possibilities. She had thought about making friends at school, going to sing karaoke or out to eat.

It hadn't worked out that way though.

Emi had developed a reputation for being a delinquent during her first two years in high school. She had to miss a lot of school when _he_ would leave bruises on her face. That, and not wanting anyone to find out about the dirty secret she kept locked away at home, she stayed away from people even when she did attend class. Then some of the girls noticed bruises on her body and started spreading rumors that she got into fights. After that, nobody even attempted to talk to her anymore, which she told herself she never minded. It was better that way back then.

Until…

After _he_ left, Emi felt as though she was safe enough to at least _try_ to branch out and make some friends. However, once a reputation had been established, it was quite difficult to break. She tried talking to some of the girls in her class, but a lot of the girls were afraid of her.

And then, she started breaking down, even in public spaces. Her heart would beat so hard and so fast, she felt it pulsating throughout her entire body. Then her lungs would suddenly stop taking in oxygen and she would choke on nothing but air. She would run to a bathroom, feeling like her own body was attacking her. When that started, she felt scared even just going to school, let alone out within the community.

But then, whatever poison caused it found her at home. She would wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, unable to breath as if someone was sitting on her chest. This irrational fear that _he_ was just outside, waiting for her to make a noise so he could come and punish her. She would climb into her closet, staying there all night sometimes, huddled where she felt somewhat safe.

But now she was determined to break the cycle. The attacks had been less often and less intense for a while now and she knew how to better handle them when they did come on. The crowds, which had seemed to be a trigger for her, didn't bother as much when she was following Shizuo - even though she knew that likely had more to do with the distraction than anything else. She still felt confident she would be able to handle it if she needed to.

The streets were starting to get more crowded now. A loud commotion ahead of her drew her attention. Several men were cajoling each other and making a ruckus, obviously drunk. Her heart started to pound. She took a deep breath. It's going to be okay.

She continued forward, heart beating faster as she got closer to the loud men. Just as she passed them, one of them reached out and grabbed her. She turned to confront the man and froze.

_Jin_

No.

Not Jin.

Some other man.

Her mind screamed. Her heart started racing. She slapped the man, shoving him away from her, and took off running. She hardly registered when he called after her, "Aw jeez, I was just gonna tell you your zipper was comin' undone!"

She didn't care. She just kept running. Fighting to get away from the man who had caused her so much pain.

Finally, she collapsed onto something hard, a bench maybe? She didn't have the awareness to check as she put her head in her hands and began sobbing.

Unaware of how much time had passed when her choked sobs settled down into gentle whimpers, she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her head shot up and she found a can of chocolate coffee being held out in front of her face. She took it hesitantly then followed the arm up to the face of the person who had offered it.

It took her a moment to register Shizuo's face in the dark. He sat down a little ways away from her, but still close enough to reach out and place a gentle hand on her shoulder if needed. He lit a cigarette and just sat there, staring off into the distance.

She sniffed and struggled with the tab to the coffee before getting it opened. Her cries were weak as she took shaky gulps of the coffee, salty tears and snot mingling with the sweet flavor. Finally, her tears subsided and she was left hiccuping and sucking her snot back into her nose. She felt a tap on her arm and she looked down to find a package of tissues being offered to her.

Shizuo was not looking at her, something she was grateful for, when she took the pack and used several tissues to blow her nose and clean her face.

"I don't know what happened," Shizuo started when she had finished, "But I'm here if you need to talk about it." Emi couldn't bring herself to look at him as she felt fresh tears stinging her eyes. The thought of having to articulate the way she felt when she saw that man's face… she didn't want to talk about it.

She shook her head quickly.

She felt Shizuo shift, preparing to stand. The thought of him leaving her alone here sent a surge of panic through her. Knocking what little remained of her coffee to the pavement, she grabbed onto his sleeve with both hands, begging God silently that he wouldn't leave her alone. Relief washed over here when he settled back into the bench.

"We can just sit here together too. It's a nice night tonight, so I don't mind," he stated simply. Emi hugged his arm, burying her face in the fabric at the back of his shoulder.


End file.
